


Saving The World, One Lap Dance At A Time!

by rangerdanger985



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Character Death, F/M, He gets better, Light Angst, Succubi & Incubi, Supernatural things, Violence, Why am I doing this to myself?, but dont worry, but their demons, continue with caution, i dont own PacRim or i'd be much happier in life!, no idea whats going on, so thats a given, some hints of rated M stuff, story under construction, there is swearing!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-12
Updated: 2017-05-09
Packaged: 2018-04-08 22:34:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 38,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4323342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rangerdanger985/pseuds/rangerdanger985
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being a stripper had its upsides and its down sides depending on if you were male or female.<br/>but being unhuman had its own set of challenges.<br/>or: in a alternate universe people coexisted with supernatural creatures and the things coming out of the ocean arent the only weird things in the world.<br/>(sorry suck at summary's)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> well hello again my lovlies! i know i should really be working on my shameless self inserts but i cant help having a overactive mind!!!!
> 
> as always let me know if it sucked in the comments below and chapters will be slow to come out, i get writers block real easy when live pokes its ugly head around the corner!  
> kudos are love!  
> RD.
> 
> ps this was partly inspired by the love bites series by sonora. if you havent read it i highly recommend it, ts a wonderful series

_Being a stripper had its up-sides and its downsides, depending on who you were, male or female._

_The up-sides were you could make a killing with only a few hours of work, the only downside was the strict diet and exercise plan a lot of people had to stick to so they would stay looking pretty, that and the handsy drunks, and the stalkers you could sometimes get._

_Of course these were all human concerns, being unhuman had up-sides and downsides of its own, upside no human worries about weight or having to worry about being attacked, the down side was if you reviled yourself there would be little things like mass hysteria, pitch forks, torches, and angry mobs but most unhuman's could just make people forget, but then there’s hunters, there's always the random hunter that you had to worry about showing up and shooting you in the face if you make even the slightest mistake._

_Not that there were many of them left anymore, since the beginning of the war most have gone into the safe zones, to cowardly to stand and fight, that being said in every Shatterdome across the pacific up to 75% of the employees were of the unhuman variety, sometimes it was mostly vampires because, let’s be honest, if the humans die out from blue poisoning, so will they,_

_Not many humans knew about the unhuman’s, see pitchforks and angry mobs, but everyone in the domes were aware and accepting of their coworkers, but then again that's what happens when the worlds coming to a very possible end,_

_Inside the dome it didn’t matter what you were, so long as you did your job and did it well you'd be golden, of course no one figured it'd last for long, one to many people got photos of glowing eyes furry bodies and downright NOT HUMAN things that in the year 2018 all unhuman's were forced to come out of the closet so to speak,_

_It was amusing how many people freaked out about it since giant monsters were coming out of the sea and huge metal robots were beating them back into oblivion._

_It wasn’t until February 18th 2020 that unhuman's were recognized as actual people, but outside of the domes they were still feared by a lot of people of course the big thing that helped unhuman’s get accepted as people were the becket brothers going before the counsel in person and revealing that they were lycanthropes, they didn’t shift or anything like that but those boys just had a talent for making people believe them and see things their way._

_Unfortunately that didn’t help them when knife head came calling._

_I bet all of you are wondering what any of this shit has to do with stripers, well I'm getting there this is just a little backstory so you can understand where were coming from here, anyway._

_It was only Yancy’s severally amped up healing abilities that kept him alive long enough to be fished out of the Alaskan waters, the government screwed them by saying it was their fault, and kicked both out of the PPDC on dishonorable discharges._

_Now while they were lycanthropes they weren't immortal both of them were injured and cut off from the benefits of the PPDC Raleigh could go without it, but Yancy couldn’t, his life literally depended on remaining in a hospital as his body tried to heal itself, their buddy tendo a wiccan, got Raleigh set up and covered Yancy’s medical for three months to give Raleigh a chance to actually think, and a week before payment was needed again and the lease on the crappy apartment Raleigh had expired he met me._

_So I might as well fill you in on who I am since it’s my story._

_My name is layne, actually its nalayneziel dothmariel kon._

_I just tell people I'm layne kon._

_I’m a stripper by night couch potato by day and all around someone you don't want to meet in a back alley while in a bad mood._

_I also love long walks on the beach and Neapolitan ice cream, I'm easy to please._

_Anyway, I met Raleigh when he was on his way back from visiting his brother one night, maybe a week before his lease was up and the hospital discontinued care of his brother, and he seemed genuinely surprised when I asked him if he wanted my help._

_“why would you want to help someone like me?” he had asked I honestly laughed in his face until I relised he wasn’t making some type of joke, the boy was severely depressed, hopeless, I remembered the one time I saw him in person while still a pilot he had a shine in his eyes._

_It seemed being kicked one to many times had killed that shine._

_I just gave him a look and shook my head and graved him arm saying “you'd do the same for anyone else”_

_It wasn’t completely truthful but it was a good enough answer to get him off my back._

_So I moved him out of his crappy apartment into a not as crappy but still crappy apartment with me, now I wouldn’t say I was rich, and even if I was it didn’t mean much because everything was starting to be rationed, but the world of the human and unhuman still ran on a network of blackmail, favors, and IOU’s and in that my fingers reached deep._

_So I called in a couple favors and waved some dirty photos and voila! I had Yancy transferred to a specialist in cases like his own, with a private room and it would be two years before anything would need to be paid for._

_God I loved being a stripper sometimes._

_For a while Raleigh would continuously keep an eye on me and ask at least once a day why I was helping him and Yancy, I understood his reasoning for asking, remember the whole kicked one to many times thing? So I didn’t get annoyed by it, and each time I avoided answering one way or another, when I did answer it differed from sarcasm to lude comments about liking blonds, that always made him blush so cute, or sometimes varying degrees of heartfelt quotes of which I would never run out of, but never once did I give him the completely truthful reason._

_Since I was a demon I'm sure you can understand it wasn’t surprising, but his wariness I completely understood, Raleigh was the younger brother, he wasn’t a alpha, like his brother or sister were, and his alpha brother was in a coma and had been hurt bad enough he couldn’t breathe on his own, bad enough it would kill even most shifters, and Raleigh was fighting to keep it together._

_So for all the sarcasm I threw at him, all the lude comments I made just to see him blush I was never mean to him, and I never rose my hand around him, I knew by helping him I was taking the place of his alpha, temporarily, and his instincts would tell him that because I was older than him by a....... few years, even though I wasn’t a lycanthrope._

_A few months after he started staying with me he told me his story mother died while he was 16, father ran out on him Yancy was fighting to keep them alive ever since, he told me all of that in detail, including what it did to him watching his alpha and the last of his family struggle so much just to keep them fed and clothed, when I put my hand on his shoulder for once he didn’t go stiff and I knew he trusted me._

_But I'm probably getting too far into the back story here so I’ll let the rest play out now._

_***_

Walking off the stage and to her dressing room to change layne slid a hand threw her messy dirty blond hair it tangled as she knew it would, tonight was a very good night, a nice wad of cash and a couple rations cards made up the hall but all of the sexual energy she had absorbed made her feel content, like the feeling you get after thanksgiving dinner.

Stepping into her dressing room she dropped into the chair in front of her mirror, her boss had been nagging her about a pole dancing award of some kind but she truly wasn’t interested, it wouldn’t be fair to all the humans, she pulled the pasties off her amazing breasts and took a brush to her hair, trying to get most of the glitter out of it.

satisfied that was as good as it was gonna get she shook her head and slid her hands through it again raking it back, her fingertips meeting something smooth that she followed up out of her hair she scratched at the bases of her horns and got up to get dressed kicking off her pumps and thong trading them for the blue jeans she came into work in with a button up shirt and sneakers

She wondered as she stowed her things what Raleigh was making for diner, she hated to admit it but in the six months since he came into her life, or she should say she dragged him into hers, she’d been eating high and fine even with the rations, that man could cook, she also wondered how Yancy was doing, apparently Raleigh told her yesterday they were about to remove the breathing tube so it wouldn’t be much longer before he'd be awake.

She wasn’t thinking as she walked back to her apartment absently reminding herself to take a shower because she smelled like a strip club.

She opened the door to her apartment a building that looked better on the inside than most in the run down part of the town she was in “hey sweet cheeks I'm back” she called closing the door and dropping her bag “what's for” she suddenly stopped and sniffed her sharp nose picking up a scent passed her own stink and she walked strait for the room Raleigh slept in.

He was curled up in his bed in a fetal position whining under his breath blankets half thrown off the bed “oh baby” she said in sympathy looking at him suddenly very glad she had sated her urges at work or this would be a problem.

Raleigh was going into heat.

Judging by the strength of the smell and the way it didn’t fill up the apartment she guessed this was just the warning, perhaps he hadn't been feeling good earlier and went to take a nap, she had expected it to happen eventually and graved something from under her bathroom sink before returning to his room, setting it down she sat behind him “you ok?” she asked he gave a half nod not moving from the way he was curled up hands pressed against his lower abdomen “I'm fine” he tried to smile but it honestly looked more like a grimace, she sighed shaking her head, she figured as his stand in alpha she had to take care of him until it passed, but normally it was just a couple of days.

Reaching out she stoked his hair it was starting to get a little bit long by military standards at least, then she turned kicking off her shoes and removing her shirt she cuddled up behind him until his head was tucked under her chin she forcefully blocked out the scent that was slowly getting stronger, he whimpered quietly but didn’t move away from her, she graved the heating pad from where she set it on the night stand and flipped it on before pressing it against his lower abdomen he whined again before settling down not curled as tight and nuzzled her chin, he didn’t speak but he didn’t have to she understood gratitude when she felt it.

“your welcome” she told him hand resting against the heating pad to keep it in place he lowered his head, settling and she propped hers up with her free arm, after a moment he gave a shiver and instead of reaching for the blankets she released her wings and stretched one over him as a blanket he shifted cuddling against her feeling protected and settled into sleep,

She watched over him but after an hour fell asleep herself.

 

 

It felt like she slept for days but it was only a few hours, the sun wasn’t even up yet when she lifted her heavy eyes, now layne was never a morning person it just wasn’t something she could do and when she did wake up it always took her a few minutes to actually find intelligence in anything she did, but this time when her eyes opened she was immediately awake, the scent that had barely been strong enough to tickle her nose now hung in the air like a thick fog permeating everything with its sickly sweet scent, she looked at Raleigh still asleep curled up beneath her wing but her ears caught sounds of stirring outside her door, something scratching against the wood.

She growled under her breath eyes a glowing red, she drew her wing back from Raleigh’s body and got up pausing when he gave a whimper of protest to throw his blanket back over his body then step out of his room making sure to close the door behind her quietly.

She was in the middle of her living room when the door busted open a large dark haired alpha lycanthrope standing there, by the already partial shifting in his features she would guess his breed was of the large cat variety, her wings flared and she hissed at the cat tail lashing the air in warning, his nostrils were flaring and he was barely paying her any attention looking around she knew the moment he found Raleigh eyes fastening on the door she had closed.

She growled louder and stepped in his way drawing his attention, now in her human like form she wasn’t exactly big maybe 5’10 at the most, even with her wings and horns out it still didn’t look intimidating because she wasn’t meant to look threatening in this form, she was supposed to be alluring but that didn’t mean she hadn't learned a thing or two in her time, or that she couldn’t become threatening, she had learned to use her abilities to their fullest, after all she was a demon, she pulled back her lips snarling and growling “get out” in her deepest voice

The alpha growled back at her “move, my omega” it snarled her nails lengthened into claws becoming even sharper, her fangs out, tail lashing angrily, wings twitching and spread, her eyes glowing even brighter whites of her eyes turning black “out!” she roared at the alpha that roared back and tried to lunge passed her to get to Raleigh

She lashed out but her claws barely scraped his face though her tail wrapped around his ankle and yanked throwing him a good three feet he hit the wall by the busted door

He lunged back to his feet and she knew he was going to attack her and she was ready this time, her claws dug deeper into his arm instead of his face and he stumbled back seeming to reevaluate what was going on “my omega! leave!” she ordered, he took a half step forward and this time she lunged at him throwing him back into the wall again claws cutting more skin he back peddled away from her she made short aborted lungs he stumbled away from her each time, she stopped in the door way when he stumbled out and ran down the hall

She growled after him looking around then closed the door frowning at the way it had just burst open, she narrowed her eyes and blinked, when her eyes opened again it was fixed, she slid the dead bolt locking the door then turned walking back toured Raleigh’s room she placed her hand against the frame beside the door and took a deep breath calming herself and stroked her tail

Only once she felt calmer did she step into the room, Raleigh was awake sitting up in bed with his blankets piled around him and he shook like he was cold but he was sweating “what happened?” he asked his voice was breathy and it sounded like it took a lot for him to actually talk coherently she shook her head “nothing, I took care of it” she sat behind him and draped both of her wings around him, he settled into her circle of wings and arms and then sat up again, she could smell his worry even through the thick scent of his heat “who's gonna check on Yancy”

She bumped her head against the back of his “I’ll do it” she said he started to sputter, trying to deny it and she sat up every tendon going stiff, he ducked his head as if in submission “Raleigh I'm not part of your pack, I'm not even a shifter, and I don't know your brother that well other than what you’ve told me, but I know he wouldn’t want you going anywhere until this passes” she shifted to look into his eyes “I've never held my age over you or my current role, but in this I am, you are not leaving this apartment until your heat has passed, understand?” she used her firmest voice and he nodded meekly she relaxed and wrapped around him again “as strong as you smell you'd attract every alpha within five miles, I'm just trying to keep you safe” she soothed stroking his hair.

He peered at her and she noticed his eye lashes weren't blond but a stark white “why?” he asked turning his body so he laid on his side against her, head on her shoulder “I don't want your brother to kill me, last think I need is some pissed off lycanthrope coming after me because his brother got a paper cut on my watch” he made a laughing sound and curled up again arms wound around his middle “pains?” she questioned he made a half hum of confirmation and she reached down pressing her hand against his lover abdomen palm radiating heat to sooth the cramps gently rubbing the muscles “guess this is your first time without suppressants since you were young huh?” she questioned he gave a half nod and she sighed before nuzzling his hair “go to sleep, I’ll go check on Yancy when visiting hours start” she said he shifted voice slurring and breathy as he spoke and tried to fight off sleep “I read to him, something from harry potter, we were just finishing the prisoner of Azkaban” she knew if she let him continue he would start rambling so instead started stroking his hair and humming under her breath.

He stopped and she felt him relaxing as the vibrations in her chest soothed him, so she started singing the old song from a cartoon she watched so many times years ago she had it memorized

“When day time turns to night,

When the moon shines bright,

When your tucked in tight”

She readjusted her wings around him

“When every things alright,

Slip softly to that place,

Were secret thoughts run free

And there come face to face,

With who you want to be so,

Swim across the ocean blue,

Fly a rocket to the moon,

You can change your life

Or you can change the world”

She stroked his face as his eyes fluttered closed

“Take a chance don’t be afraid,

Life is yours to live,

Take a chance,

And then the best is yet to come,

Make a wish,

It’s up to you,

Find the strength inside then watch your dreams come true”

She pressed her lips into his hair placing her hand against his chest

“You don’t need a shooting star the magic’s right there in your heart,

So close your eyes,

Believe,

And make a wish”

His breathing was slow and even puffing against her neck and she smiled, tears were in her eyes from old memories but she encored them to instead cuddle him, this time staying awake to listen for unwanted company.


	2. Chapter 2

After the sun rose she left for the hospital but first she needed to stop at the Shatterdome

It took only 30 minutes to reach as the crow, or demon, flies and at the gate it took less than five minutes to get in,

She had blackmail and favors from nearly every man around the pacific, from there it was easy to get into LOCCENT it was too early for much of anyone else to be there but if what Raleigh had told her was true a certain individual would be there before anyone else she stepped back into the shadow and waited,

Sure enough no more than 5 past 6AM did a man walk in with two mugs of coffee and a doughnut in his mouth, she waited for him to put down his coffee before speaking “good morning mister choi” she rumbled stepping out of the shadow he jerked and spun around hand risen weather to attack or defend she didn’t know “who are you? Howed you get in here this is a restricted area” he said “I have my ways, I was hoping you could do me a favor” she saw his eyes darting over her from her dark leathery wings, to her tail that flicked slightly in his direction, to the horns that poked out of her strawberry blond hair

“you’re a succubus aren’t you? Your influence won’t work on me” 

“I know”

Her eyes flicked to the rosary around his still risen hand “I wouldn’t try to use it on you anyway, I'm hoping you’ll do as I ask through your since of friendship and loyalty” she continued honestly now he was cautious “who do you mean?” he asked slowly she took a step forward “your loyalty to the beckets. I need to see Raleigh’s medical records” she answered that shocked him “Wha- you know the beckets?” she nodded and approached another step “I'm Raleigh’s acting alpha while his brother is in the hospital, that's where I'm going after here, but first” she made a motion toured the terminal tendo sat in front of “I need to look something up, having the relationship that you do with the beckets I thought I might ask you to pull up the files for me instead of hacking into the servers” his brows furrowed

“our systems can’t be-”

she cut him off “yes they can, I've done it, a lot, now, the records please?” she asked he shook himself and turned toured the monitor a few clicks and taps latter what she wanted was pulled up and she bent at the waist slowly scrolling down eyes skimming over the words her eyes focused on something her lips moving at she read it carefully then graved a nearby note pad and wrote down something, tearing off the paper she sat the pad down and shoved it into her jeans 

She stood up closing the file herself “thank you” she said dropping her hand on tendos shoulder then turned to walk away “wait” tendo said just before she reached the door and she turned back “what's your name?” he questioned “layne” she replied and he nodded once “layne, take care of them, please, with what happened, none of the staff are allowed to visit but tell Yancy I’ll sneak out eventually, come see him and rals” he said she nodded once “Yancy is still in a coma, but I’ll let him know, maybe it’s what he needs to wake up, your coffees getting cold” she nodded toured the mugs

He glanced over and when he looked back she was gone.

 

Stepping into the private room where Yancy was layne saw a nurse checking his vitals and blocking her view

The woman turned with a bright smile but it faltered when she saw layne entering the room, considering Raleigh’s name was half passed her lips she understood why “oh, hello um” the woman was clearly struggling with what to say so layne smiled and stepped closer keeping her wings tail and horns hidden “good morning, Raleigh couldn’t come this morning so he asked me to come in his place” she said the woman, rose her name tag read blinked at her “whoa, he must really trust you then, I heard when his brother was first brought here he kept vigil and growled at anyone that touched him”

Layne chuckled to herself “I suppose you could say that” layne glanced over and saw the man lying in the bed,

His skin was pale and his hair was lying across his forehead peaking from under a bandage around his head, a faint pink line going from the corner of his left eye down to just behind his jaw, another had carved a small line threw his right eyebrow, but other than that he looked like Raleigh a few years older with sharper lines on his face, layne didn’t know what their parents looked like but she got a feeling Yancy took more after their father while Raleigh took more after their mother.

“how is he?” she asked with a nod knowing Raleigh would want a full run down “well we removed the breathing tube this morning and his bones have started to mend, his other injuries seem to be healed just fine and he should be awake in the next day or so” the woman said way to cheerful “thank you, I’ll let him know, oh and could you give this to doctor shorn? He’ll know who it’s from” her smile didn’t slip as she handed rose the paper with Raleigh’s brand of suppressants on it, the young woman nodded and scurried away, layne would guess her to be like a mouse or something cuz that wasn’t normal, then again maybe she just had a massive crush on Raleigh

Shaking her head she walked over and sat in the chair beside the bed and looked at the sleeping man “hello Yancy, I'm a friend my names layne kon, I don't know if your brother told you about me but I'm taking care of him while you’re stuck here so don't worry about your brother ok? Just focus on getting better, he couldn’t come today because he's a little under the weather so I came instead, tendo says hi by the way, after what happened no one’s allowed to come see you or Raleigh, but he said he'd sneak out some time in the next few days to come see you and Raleigh, he seems like he really cares about you, but I guess that doesn't surprise you dose it?”

She watched his face but his eyes remained closed lips slightly parted as he breathed slow and deep “so anyway, I know Raleigh said he read to you and that you just about finished a harry potter book but I figured that was a thing just between the both of you, so I brought a different book, it’s about this game people are forced to play, in teams of two and they have bombs inside their heads so if they get a certain distance away from each other their heads explode, I've been trying to get it done for the last few days but I never have, actually I'm too lazy to finish it”

After a moment of silence she opened the book and started reading to pass the time.

 

A while later she was on her way home paper bag in hand, shed spent several hours at the hospital, she hadn't relised how peaceful and relaxing it was to read to Yancy she hadn't wanted to leave, she didn’t know how but Yancy gave out a peaceful feeling, when she stepped into her apartment, she thought she had desensitized enough that the heavy scent of heat in her apartment didn’t bother her but it seemed like it was even stronger now like a dense fog.

She closed her door quickly and waited a beat, listening, ears attuned to any sound that might be out of the ordinary, but all was silent outside, the old enchantments cast on her walls ceiling and floor now strengthened by her own warding, prevented anyone from hearing inside of her apartment, so she could do basically anything she wanted and not be complained on, originally it was from the person that owned the apartment before her, they had been a omega who didn’t want to have to worry about nosey neighbors giving them the morning after stare.

Since heats could last up to a week and inhibitors and suppressants had been hard to come by before they started being mass produced about a year in a half ago, it was a surprise how much the government had been against it until it was shown they could make money off of nonhumans, NOT.

She heard a whimpering sound from Raleigh’s room but it was different from the ones from the night before more aching and needy, she quickly moved to the furthest point of the apartment, the kitchen, with its thick walls she didn’t really hear much, she wondered absently how ironic it was that for the first time in nearly ten years, the enchantments were being used for what they were originally meant for, she busied herself making lunch the scent of the food so close blocked out a lot of the heat smell, though she wasn’t especially hungry she was doing a reheat fry of some meat and pulling out sandwich bread and toppings, she found as some sounds made it through that her face was starting to heat up.

Being what she was layne felt no embarrassment from the sounds themselves or what he was doing, it’s just she was embarrassed for him for some strange reason, wanted to give him some privacy, once she had finished the food she waited but didn’t have to wait very long she could feel it in the air, the thickening of the scent just before she herd him shout from his room, she waited a few minutes before graving the plate of food in one hand and a glass of water in the other she spied the paper bag on the counter and her tail graved it as she passed, she knocked lightly with her foot before pushing open the door and the full strength of Raleigh’s heat hit her nose she had to stop herself from shivering, he was laying on his side blanket pulled up to his waist, hair a mess face flushed and skin shiny with sweat, he was panting softly.

“hey, feel like some food? I made lunch” she said softly he opened his glazed eyes to look at her and his mouth twitched a little “you know how to cook?” he asked sitting up pulling the blanket with him, she set the food down and handed him the glass of water he took it and drained half of it “hey I didn’t live off takeout before you moved in” she said faking insult rather badly then held up her hand her tail releasing the bag into it “while I was out I pulled a few strings got something for ya” she pulled a white bottle out of the bag “Ta-daa” she said his eyes blinked hard to focus and read the name “where did you get that?” he questioned noticing the name of the brand was the one he had used “I have my ways, also got the inhibiters you were on, once a month, twelve month supply” she said rolling the bag closed and opened the nightstand, not glancing inside because she knew what would be there and dropped them inside closing it again then nodded to the food “eat, you can’t take those on an empty stomach” she told him he gave a half nod graved the food and took a half bite by the look on his face he was surprised

“what's with the look, I told you I knew the basics”

He gave her a sarcastic look but kept his mouth shut “how's Yance?” he asked instead and she smirked and gave him the run down, he nodded continuing to eat slowly before smiling slightly when she told him his brother had a very calming presence.

“yeah, he was always like that” he looked at his lap as he spoke, picking at a stray thread of the blanket, she glanced at the bed considering for a moment before mentally saying screw it and sat beside him touching his arm “hey” he glanced at her “he’s going to be fine Raleigh, he’ll be awake within the next few days and here with you by next week”

He looked at her like a puppy that was kicked far too many times, his eyes so sad and almost hopeless “really?” he questioned she nodded one wing stretched out enough to drape over his back “I promise, here” she reached back and pulled two pills from the bottle before holding them out to him “it’ll make you feel better” she said he took them and the water and swallowed them “thank you” he said as she took the glass and set it back on the night stand readjusting her wing as she also tugged the blanket up a little further as she half shrugged “don't worry about it” she said and he looked at her eyes serious “no, thank you, you didn't have to do this for us, but you are and I'm happy you care when others wouldn’t” she smiled at him “you would have” she trailed off looking in his eyes and then she let out a large breath as a sigh “I guess I should tell you why I'm doing this, at least part of the reason” she said he shook his head “you don't have to tell me anything-”

She pressed a finger to his lips and he shut up “just let me say this ok Raleigh, if I stop I might never say it” she waited for him to nod before pulling her finger away “I had a friend a few years ago he was like you, a lycanthrope, he had some weird defect in the gene that allowed him to change into whatever he wanted, his name was Conner” he half turned and leaned against her shoulder listening “he was a, well” she pulled at something from around her neck and held it up it was a set of dog tags on it was written Kon L. her blood type O+ her identification number and a single D marking her as a demon shifting her hand a little she showed the second dog tag much like the first but instead the letter on it was L-m, and the name was Johnsen C. he would recognize them anywhere, they were PPDC dog tags.

He looked at her almost confused “in the beginning of the program he got his copilot right out of the academy, girl named Jamie, they were the best and the second piloting pair to ever take down a kaiju solo, when he first joined he talked me into joining as well, but I couldn’t pilot, ‘incompatible’ they called me”

She had started to stroke his hair as she spoke and she wasn’t looking at him “one night, a category two came through the breach, he'd done the same song and dance a million times, but something went wrong, the jaeger malfunctioned and the kaiju destroyed the jaeger, crushed to pod around him” her voice was quiet, a million questions buzzed in Raleigh’s head and one escaped before he could stop it “did you leave after that?” she shook her head laughing ruefully “no, see his copilot survived because she ejected, after an investigation they ruled it a accident and assigned her back to active duty after she recovered, I did my own investigation because I had worked on their jaeger just before they went out, it shouldn’t have malfunctioned, and I found out she had sabotaged her own machine to get a promotion, I confronted her about what I found and she denied it at first but she was only human, she finally admitted it and I freaked out, I almost killed her that day, I was dishonorably discharged for conduct unbecoming an officer the next morning, the only reason I wasn’t put in jail is because I showed them the evidence that proved she killed him, I reacted like that because I had known him for years, he helped me once, years ago when I was all but living on the streets”

She paused that was more than shed wanted to say on that but oh well no going back now she looked at him finally and smirked “we have some things in common you and I, only difference is you’re not a demon, I don't want you to make my mistakes” he remained silent for a long time before finally looking at her “thank you” he said again and laid his head on her shoulder, for a moment she held him close her wing tightening and then she sighed “your welcome” and no those were not tears in her eyes it was just allergies.

She wrapped her other wing around him as well cocooning him in warmth as he dozed off as the medicine took effect.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> congrats if you made it this far! remember kudos are love!!!  
> RD.

She found herself at the hospital every day for the next week,

Even with the suppressants Raleigh’s scent was extremely strong, and seeing as how she had ordered him not to leave until his heat was over he didn’t argue about her letting him come as well, the face he made every time she left if he was awake made her strangely sad but when she came back and told him about what was going on with Yancy he'd cheer up a little.

She didn’t tell Raleigh but Yancy hadn't even twitched from his sleep yet, medicine on lycanthropes wasn’t an exact science, they hadn't studied the way they could heal from injuries that would kill a normal human, they went off how a human would heal because lycanthropes were actually the closest unhuman to actual humans, so they judged on their healing ability's, they were getting better but they still needed a lot of work.

She had tied her hair back in a messy knot, strands falling in her face her blue jeans were worn out and her shirt didn’t appear to be nearly thick enough for Alaskan weather even with the thick jacket with the discreet wing holes behind her, she had started a new book and was only a few chapters in it was called blue smoke, one of her personal favorites that she could recite word for word by heart, she had one leg crossed over the other to make a shelf _“‘your brother came to help you.’ Poppi continued ‘because he's your brother and its right to help someone in trouble. Then your father did what was right and went to speak with this boy’s father. But the man was not a man; he didn’t stand up and do what was right. He struck out to hurt your father in a cowardly way. To hurt all of us was this your fault?’ ‘No Poppi, but it was my fault I was too scared to fight back. I won’t be next time’_.”

Her eyes flicked up to look at Yancy checking on him and she noticed his eyes were open, shining a deep shade of blue much like his brothers but darker, she didn’t react to her surprise the way she wanted to, it flashed in her eyes but otherwise she stayed calm.

She looked at him closely, he was obviously groggy but he didn’t recognize her, his nostrils were flaring scenting her but probably also searching for his brother, like most alphas who were injured looking for his ‘unit’ as she called it because to be honest there were to many names and she didn’t even know what the beckets changed into, it kept her from accidentally insulting someone.

From the look he suddenly gave her she knew he was confused by her scent, she remembered Raleigh saying something to her about her smelling like home or family but she just thought it was his hormones talking, Yancy’s brow furrowed in confusion still to many drugs in his body to be aggressive “wh-” he coughed and she got up filling a glass with ice cold water from a pitcher and presented the straw to him, his cracked dry lips latched on and she waited for him to drink his fill, he twitched away after a minute so she shifted back and set down the cup pulling her chair closer to sit back down “better?” he nodded and exhaled slowly then his entire body coiled “Raleigh! What-”

He tried to sit up but she stopped him with gentle fingers on his shoulder, now gentle for a demon was different than gentle for a human, a demon, even a succubus, could barely touch a person and they would fly across the room if they wanted them to, but being what she was she had learned to control it, so while her touch was gentle she made sure it was firm but not enough to possible hurt any still healing injuries, it was caring but it was also authoritative, calming yet reprimanding, the same touch she used on Raleigh when he worked himself into a fit about not seeing his beloved brother.

Yancy looked at her, eyes wide with fear and she summoned her power letting it try to calm him “Raleigh is fine, he suffered some scaring from overloading circuits in your jaeger he got off lucky but he's completely healthy now, a little underweight but he's fine” he closed his eyes and sighed lips moving faintly in praise to a higher being she knew because she was a demon and could feel it, then his brows furrowed as she sat back and he opened his eyes to look at her “who are you?” he asked “layne kon, Raleigh’s staying in my apartment, and I got you transferred here on some favors I collected from the staff to make his own recovery easier” she told him hands folded in front of her.

She saw his eyes narrow and could feel his agitation “why isn’t he here?” he asked and she looked at him rising a brow “he went into heat about a week ago, I won’t allow him out until its passed, I'm here right now because he was agitated he couldn’t see you, and worried you'd wake up alone and freak out” she propped her chin on her hands watching him and waiting “it’s been a week and he's still in heat?” he was worried now, again “he was on inhibitors for years Yancy, sometimes when you go off of them suddenly it lasts a bit longer” she reminded him and he looked at her eyes almost comically wide if it wasn’t such a serious discussion they were having shed have probably laughed instead she held up a hand “I already pulled some strings and got his brand of inhibitors and suppressants, he's going on the inhibitors the moment its over” she told him

He closed his mouth looking at her still weary but he had relaxed a notch so they wound up staring at each other for a few minutes just sitting there “what are you?” he finally asked and she released her appearance though she had become comfortable without showing them so much she rarely noticed they weren't there anymore, she scratched the base of one of her horns her tail making a half flicking motion and she saw he had gone stiff again “relax becket, I'm a succubus, and I get my fill at work” she told him horns disappearing but left her tail out he nodded slowly and she stood up readjusting his pillows so he could lay back but still be sat up some.

When she returned to her chair he was giving her a strange look “what?” she asked wondering if she had something stuck between her teeth “why do you come here? Is it just because my brother feels better when you do?” he asked she glanced away and felt a familiar heat raising on her neck “not entirely, he told me he'd come read to you, you were in a coma for a while, and he had time to do it when I took him in so to speak, so I figured I’d take it over until he could leave the apartment without putting every alpha within a five mile radius into rut, so I came in and I don't know” she shrugged the heat having traveled to her face “I like it I guess” she told him, she heard a snort and then another, when she looked at him she saw he was trying to hold in laughter “what?” she demanded flustered he shook his head “just finish that chapter and go check on my brother” he said fully relaxing she gave him a dirty look but picked up the book again “where was I?” she asked his eyes were closed but he was awake she knew because he smirked “won’t be scared to fight back” he said she nodded “thanks” she said opening the book found her place and started reading

“ _he gave a half laugh ‘learn to run’ he said ‘and if you can’t run then fight’_ ”.

 

Upon returning to her apartment she noticed the scent had faded considerably, and Raleigh was actually up doing laundry of all things “your brothers awake” she said that got his attention he dropped the pair of pants he was folding and lunged at her asking a million questions a minute

She laughed at his reaction tail flicking behind her she put her hands on his shoulders to push him away a little “calm down Raleigh your gonna give yourself a heart attack” he pouted at her looking like a puppy and she laughed and patted his head “Yancy’s fine, I told him I’d come by with you tomorrow” she gave him a stern look “if you behave” she ruined her sternness by smiling and he grinned at her and she couldn’t help thinking how much he reminded her of a puppy, an overgrown blonde puppy that tripped over its own feet when it was excited, shaking her head slightly she moved to help him fold the laundry while telling him everything about his brothers condition

“ya know I didn’t really pay attention before but he doesn't have blonde hair like you” she said maybe 20 minutes later holding a cream colored sweater in her hands a needle and thread in the other “his is more, ginger? Or maybe a reddish dirty blond?” she was looking up thoughtfully wondering how to describe his hair color but she did look back at Raleigh in time to see him trying to hide a smile her brows rose “what?” she asked he shook his head trying to straighten his face.

She looked down at her work continuing to repair the rip in the seams “you have a horrible poker face” she sing songed at him, he shook his head finally chuckling “your spending way to much brain power on trying to describe what the color of my brothers hair is” she shrugged setting down the needle and tied together a couple loose strands of yarn so it wouldn’t unravel then inspected it for other damage, and she noticed it didn’t have a tag in the back of it and assumed it was handmade.

She took half a moment to wonder who knitted it Yancy or Raleigh or if it was a gift from a fan then mentally shrugged it off and set it aside “well we all have our quirks don't we?” she said fingering the soft yarn from the corner of her eye she saw him blush a little and smirked to herself figuring he knitted it, getting an idea her smirk spread into a grin it would be good for him

“ok that look is kinda scary” 

She looked at him and softened her smile “don't worry, I'm just thinking about something” he gave her a raised brow but dropped it and went back to the book he'd started reading while she repaired the sweater.

When she got back from work that night a few ration cards heavier she peeked into Raleigh’s room, his scent had all but disappeared and he was asleep in bed curled under a thick blanket she smiled at his quiet snore and replaced the bag in her hand over the inside door knob then quietly closed the door again and went to her own room smiling widely, she was a good person, or she would be if she was a person as it stood she was a wonderful alpha/demon.


	4. Chapter 4

Come morning she left her room about 10am, the moment she opened the door rubbing her eyes she heard a soft click, click, click sound and looked toured the couch where Raleigh sat his legs were crossed and he was focusing on his hands she saw something draped over his knees and smiled to herself slowly approaching him she saw the soft blue yarn she had got last night had been rolled into a ball and he was knitting so caught up in his pattern he didn’t even notice her at first but she saw the soft half smile on his lips and knew she’d done good.

She flopped gently onto the couch beside him and he looked at her brow raising and then he beamed at her “you wouldn’t happen to know anything about this would you?” he questioned angling his head she put on a perfect innocent face “no idea” she shifted and tucked her feet behind him on the couch propping her cheek on her fist and just watched as he worked,

It was hypnotizing watching his hands move and before she knew it whatever he was making had doubled in size and taken on a distinctly sweaterish shape “you need a shower” he commented drawing her from her daze, her tail flicked at his arm.

“probably” his hands stopped and she finally looked at his face he appeared amused “I could leave you behind while I go to see Yancy” he said, she sat up on the couch leaning forward her nostrils flaring as she sniffed him, the smell of his heat hadn't completely disappeared, but it was mild enough that he shouldn’t have any problem in public, even so she still thought it’d be a bad idea to let him go alone, she told herself it was because she didnt wanna risk yancy coming after her hide.

She leaped from her seat “give me five” she herd him laughing behind her as she graved clothing and took a shower.

Once she was satisfied she stepped out and got dressed then left the bathroom, she knew her hair was still dripping but a few seconds with her abilities and it was dry and fluffy, when she walked to the couch she saw him dressed in jeans and the cream sweater she had repaired the day before, under a thick jacket and he held something in his hand “s’that?” she questioned he looked at her then smiled and held it out “so you don't freak people out, it isn’t natural for someone to walk around in only a short sleeve t-shirt and a jacket you don't even zip up” she reached out and took the green thing it was soft and upon looking at it she saw it was a hand knit sweater “thank you” she said looking at him he smiled widely at her and then disappeared for a moment as she pulled on the sweater, a type of comfort immediately surrounded her and she adjusted it,

The sweater was just the right length and baggy in just the right places she graved her jacket slipped on her shoes and then looked at him “let’s go visit the prodigal brother” she said he smiled and stepped out of the door she had opened.

To say she was on high alert until they reached the hospital and she closed the door to his brothers room was a understatement, she had growled at every alpha that looked at Raleigh and she disliked the fact that a few had managed to sneak up on them, Raleigh hadn't noticed because he was too happy about being outside and going to see his brother, she slumped in the chair on the left side of the bed and sighed like she was tired.

Yancy was asleep snoring softly and Raleigh was staring as he slowly made his way to the seat on the right by the window and sat down.

After about 10 minutes of silence Yancy seemed to decide it was a good idea to wake up, from where she was sitting she saw his toes curl as he stretched slowly and blinked open sleep heavy eyes the look in Raleigh's face when their eyes met touching something deep inside of her “rals?” Yancy asked confused by the sudden appearance of large tears rolling down his face “Yance” Raleigh lunged forward and wrapped his arms around his brother, face buried in his neck as he started to cry, Yancy immediately wrapped his arms around him hushing him and stroking his hair, she marveled at the sight of them cuddled so close together as if afraid if they let go they'd lose each other forever.

Raleigh kept whining his brother’s name and Yancy continued to sooth him, the sun shone through the window highlighting them and making their hair shine, and finally she figured out how to describe his hair, Raleigh's gleamed like fresh gold in the light and Yancy’s hair, it shone like amber, not quite ginger or brown or even blonde but a mix of all three.

She smiled at them and leaned further in her chair feeling content as they cuddled, within 20 minutes Raleigh was asleep and Yancy was petting his hair not stopping the motion he looked over at layne who was relaxed in a chair reading a book her tail twitching side to side behind her much like a cats, feeling his eyes on her she looked up meeting Yancy’s gaze curiously “thank you for all you’ve done for us” he said dipping his head a little but not losing eye contact she made a humming sound “your welcome” she said, he didn’t look away seemed almost confused and she leaned back further in her seat closing her book around her finger “you act like your expecting me to get up and walk out” she said “aren’t you?” they both looked at Raleigh who didn’t move from his position pressed against Yancy’s side forehead on Yancy’s shoulder “Yancy’s awake now, we can make it on our own”

She rose a brow and propped her cheek on her fist “yeah well I never set an end date to this little deal we have going, you really think I’d just walk out?” she was actually hurt by that assumption “everyone dose, why should this be any different” he said quietly and she sat forward “you’ve never met anyone like me before Raleigh” the harshness in her voice made Yancy bristle but Raleigh looked up his face was wet and that hurt, he was upset by the prospect of her leaving “I'm not like that dick, I don't walk away, face it boys” she rose her feet as she sat back and placed them firmly on the bed by Yancy’s knees “you’re stuck with me until **_I_** say otherwise, so get used to it” she opened her book again looking back at the words as the brothers looked at each other, she could honestly say she was not expecting the arms full of Raleigh she got.

By the ooph Yancy made he wasn’t expecting his brother to leap over him either, she smiled slightly at the blonde and patted his head arm around his shoulders “no more tears alright chef frère?” she whispered and he nodded and sniffed as she pushed away a tear trail

Her wings extending and wrapping around him, he sighed and settled down he was truly asleep within a minute, she looked at Yancy for help but saw him smirking as he folded one arm behind his head “let him sleep soeur” she smiled “alright chef frère” she pulled her book back out and began to read.

_“shall not I say I love,_

_for what is love I know not,_

_yet I shall not say hate for too much is spread unto the world,_

_shall I not come to sit at the hearth and rest with my brother,_

_for should his arm be what love feels like?_

_Shalt I love and lose,_

_shalt I lose thee brother,_

_thy heart shalt not heal,_

_for I love thee,_

_thou art my brother,_

_thy heart breaks the mortal ties that bind,_

_thou art my heart,_

_thou arth my steady demise”._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chef frère means dear brother.   
> soeur means sister.  
> and chef frère means head brother.  
> i dont speak french although i wish i did so please forgive me if i got it horribly wrong!!
> 
> hope you enjoyed! leave your comments if you find anything wrong!  
> RD.


	5. Chapter 5

_So yeah, Yancy was up, but he couldn’t do much without getting tired at first._

_Though if you ask me he was always tired._

_We continued our habit of reading to each other, though more often than not it was me doing the reading._

_For a while Yancy was unsure on whether or not I was going to stick around but he relised I was when a year after I took his brother, and him, in there was a storm just like during knife head._

_It was also the first time I relised what they turned into._

_***_

Layne was woken from her sleep by a crash of thunder loud enough to shake the glass in her window.

Not being a morning person she turned and glanced outside with only partly open eyes, it was pouring, she slumped back onto her back again groaning, she knew she wouldn’t get any other slee, at least not right away, so she might as well get up.

She rose from bed and walked toured the kitchen, another strike of thunder and this time she could hear the soft cry that accompanied it, she didn’t know what was going on or what caused it but she was suddenly in the door way to Yancy and Raleigh's shared room it took less than a minute for her to recognize what was going on, Raleigh shivering and curled into his brothers chest, Yancy keeping a white knuckled hold on his brother, in a second she remembered knife head and flew to the bed they were sharing, literally flew, she didnt even notice her wings were out.

She slid onto the bed, kneeling at their heads she stroked their hair “Sweet babies don't be afraid, nothing can hurt you here” she said as her wings folded over then Yancy and Raleigh both made similar sounds and then something changed and suddenly she was pushed down by two large bundles of fur, one a light gold another an amber color, it took a moment for her to figure out the bundles of fur were golden retrievers, another moment to realize they were Yancy and Raleigh and yet another to notice they had curled up on top of her.

She wrapped her arms around the dogs on top of her best she could, as her hands stroked fur, scratched behind ears, Raleigh the lighter colored golden retriever was making small whining noises Yancy the darker one was nosing at his brothers side trying to comfort while also seeking comfort of his own, she hated how she could do nothing other than hold onto them and wait for the storm to end, little did she know the storm was only just beginning.

 

She woke up with sun in her eyes and fur in her mouth, someone’s tail laying over her face she spat it out making a face at the animal laying on top of her then sighed and let her head fall back slightly it was light furred so it was Raleigh and she really didn’t want to disturb him but she had to use the bathroom, it took a minute and a few disturbed snuffles from him before she was free and left the room using the bathroom before peeking back into the room to make sure he was still asleep.

She didn’t know where Yancy went but he was a grown man, and she doubted he'd go very far from his brother so she walked out of her apartment and went up to the roof.

The ocean air was salty in her nostrils as she breathed deep and stretched then extended her wings, the wind blowing against them getting caught in the folds it felt good, stretching muscles that hadn't seen a good workout in days.

She flapped once actually lifting her feet a few inches off the ground before folding her wings again, she pushed back her hair fingers gliding over her horns then jumped when someone spoke “morning” she looked and settled her eyes on Yancy who sat looking out at the horizon in an over sized sweater and grasping a mug, she put her hand on her chest “jeez you scared me, how long have you been up here” she questioned walking over to him and settled on the ground “few minutes maybe” she hummed unbelieving then sighed and let her wings stretch out behind her and relax her tail twitching back and forth lazily as she absorbed some of the heat coming from the morning sun.

“I have a question for you” Yancy said after the silence had stretched for a few minutes “what is it?” she asked he looked at her “how old are you” she looked at him, watching him then sighed looking forward again “older than a century but younger than a millennia, I stopped keeping track a long time ago, time doesn't matter as much to demons as it does to everyone else” she herd him making a humming sound and looked at him “but I am still young by their standers, my age to a demon is the human equivalent of being in my early 20’s” he tilted his head a little “that's confusing” he told her and she smiled “yeah, how do you think I felt when I found out I couldn’t go to any of the demonic bars for another hundred years or so” he made a snorting sound and she smiled a little wider, she liked that sound

“Raleigh's still asleep, I might have enough time for a flight before he wakes up then I might make breakfast” she told him walking to the edge of the building “be careful” Yancy warned her and she turned her head to smile at him “always” then she leaped spreading her wings and allowed them to catch the air

“that's not careful!” she heard from behind her faintly and smiled as she curved up into the air currents, she continued to go up until she rose above the clouds and could feel the suns rays warm on her back, wings stretched to catch the currents she drifted the mist of the clouds cool below her the light of the sun warm above her, she stretched her body out, tail loose behind her hair getting tangled and caught on her horns the sunlight gleaming off the skin of her wings then she turned over and let the sun shine on her face

She was one of only a few people she knew able to fly upside-down.

It was a good 20 minutes before she decided it was time to head back, the roof was empty when she landed and put her wings away, and it was silent as she walked to the apartment Yancy and Raleigh sat on the couch Raleigh knitting Yancy watching him.

She smiled at their relaxed postures especially after the night before and just walked into the kitchen to make breakfast wondering silently how she had lucked out so much as to get her own little family, no matter how mismatched they seemed to be.

she paused for a moment tasting that word on her lips again, family, glancing back at the brothers she decided she liked the sound of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this might be the last one for a while because i have a few idea where to go from here but i keep rewriting things and changing details. i totally need to get the basic idea of a story figured out BEFORE i start posting it!!!!!
> 
> i'll try to update this and my other works as soon as possible but no promises!  
> a huge thank you to every whos stuck with me this far! i know it sucks but please bare with me?   
> let me know in the comments if you see anything out of place or if i'm doing something wrong!  
> much love people! ranger out.  
> RD.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know what your thinking and im sorry it took so long for me to work out another chapter but life got in the way and i have sever writers block! i know i should have finished it before posting it but i couldnt help it!  
> please do enjoy and let me know what you think in the comments below, i do try to catch spelling errors but i am not perfect.  
> as always enjoy and remember kudos are love! ranger out.  
> RD

Time seemed to fly by for us, one minute we were laughing over something Raleigh said, the next slaving away on a wall that was a hollow as a republicans promises.

It went so fast yet at the same time it crawled at a turtles pace, before we knew it five years had gone by and a part of our past came walking back in like it owned the place.

And I'm sure you know exactly who I'm talking about...

\---

The crowds at the strip club had been thinning recently, making her tap into her several year’s worth of back logged ration cards. 

Normally she wouldn’t worry about it, working at the strip club, absorbing that sexual energy made it so she didn’t have to eat or drink no matter how much she liked human food, but Raleigh and Yancy weren't as lucky. 

They left Yancy in charge of the apartment more often than not both of them working on the wall to bring in enough, and when things got short they went further up on the wall. 

No one there bothered hiding what they were, they were all fighting for survival now, so she didn’t bother hiding her wings, she could rely on them to catch her if she fell, she used her superior strength to help construct the wall with other unhuman's, but using so much of her power was causing her to become thin, making her need more energy from the crowd in the strip club. 

She moved clubs when she changed wall sections, and despite recognizing so many of the workers none of them seemed to care they were watching and drooling over a demon, desperate times did that to people.

She noticed how Yancy and Raleigh despite keeping their strength lost muscle mass and became more lean, Yancy working on the wall at the two year mark after being released from the hospital, and she found herself keeping a close eye on both of them compared to the other workers. 

She felt almost motherly toured them which was strange, she never thought she was the mothering type. 

She had just got off a long day on the wall muscles aching but not in the pleasant way, they were more groaning and creaking with her age, which she had lost track of in the early 19th century and had no desire to try and she had no desire to figure out how old she was. 

Currently yancy was sitting behind her, warm hands rubbing her shoulders and easing out some of the aches that seemed bone deep.

Shed held up a thousand pound beam at work when the crane cable had snapped, keeping it from smacking into anything or anyone, she was pretty sure shed strained a few things. 

She sat between yancys legs on the couch, knees drawn up as she leaned forward so he could access her aching back, she could smell Raleigh in the kitchen cooking something delicious, humming softly.

Her eyes squeezed shut when yancys hand pushed over a spot on her back wear her wings normally were and wrapped her arms around her knees.

She herd yancy sigh and glanced back “ok wings out” she pursed her lips and took a deep breath, wings unfolding from nothing and winced at the pull of over worked muscle’s

Yancy placed his hand against her back again under her wing and felt with gentle fingers around her back

“the muscle here feel warm looks like you strained a flight muscle while lifting that beam”

She lowered her head with a groan “that would explain the pain” she muttered “lay on the floor on your stomach, I’ll try and help” she felt one of his legs move and more poured herself onto the floor than anything else.

She crossed her arms and put her head on them and let her wings stretch out a little laying on the floor on either side of her, the living room was big enough she could and her wing span was only 18ft fully extended.

Which wasn’t exactly modest but she almost never had her wings fully extended so they normally rounded out about 12ft, which still was nothing to laugh at considering most incubus she knew didn’t have wing spans over 10ft.

She felt yancy stand up then lowered himself on the back of her thighs legs framing her hips she glanced back at him raising one brow but he ignored it instead reaching for her wings, she didn’t know what muscle he stimulated at first but her wings went from laying slack on each side of her to fully extended a couple inches off the ground.

She made a sound of pain when the right wing pulled but felt yancys hands on her again and felt the ache start to lessen.

She groaned softly at the relief and let her head thud down against her arms, she heard steps then a snort “should I give you some alone time?” she rolled her eyes and turned her head moving her left wing out of the way “shut up Raleigh” she and yancy both said her tail which had appeared at some point and that yancy was sitting on twitched slightly like she was flicking at him.

Raleigh laughed and sat on the floor to the left of her head and started massaging the wing yancy had thus far ignored, she groaned again letting them massage her wings after a second she rolled her head bumping Raleigh's leg to show her appreciation, flicking yancys with her tail

“you know its been a long time since someones helped me with these things” she twitched her wings a little in the brothers hands making them pause for a moment “how come?” Raleigh the more curious of the two asked “wings are very tender, if something is done to them it can cripple us severely, normally only family, close friends or lovers are supposed to touch them”

She felt both brothers freeze and made a sound of displeasure she knew they didn’t know she thought of them as family and hadn't known then long enough to consider them close friends, she continued pressing her wings into their hands until they started rubbing again and she relaxed “I wouldn’t call frere if I didn’t mean it” she told them refolding her arms and felt yancy relax where he still sat on her legs she nudged Raleigh's leg again and felt he'd also relaxing and sighed in content

After a few more minutes Raleigh shifted taking her fully extend her wing “there pretty big” he commented surprised “largest of any succubus I've ever met” she agreed he breathed a soft whoa hands firm yet soft on her wing then he pulled his hands away and did something surprising he transformed into his dog form and crawled under her wing she looked at him a wet nose peaking out from under the appendage and laughed wing draped over him 

“when I took you under my wing I didn’t mean it literally” the nose poked out farther sniffing at her then a pink tongue licked a long stripe up the side of her face she sputtered reeling back up seating yancy who tumbled slightly on top of her other wing she didn’t even notice it though he quickly moved from its surface she shifted her body “come here you little ass” despite his scrambling to try and get away she wrapped her wing around him pulling him into her side then wrapped her other wing around the bundle her arms snaking around his furry sides

After a moment he stopped struggling and laid panting against her chest nose to nose “no licking” she said only to have him lick her again yancy started laughing at the sound she made but she ignored it in turn for trying to avoid Raleigh's ‘kisses’ it didn’t work so well considering he was on her chest and trapped by a grip her wings were unready to relies.

But then someone was knocking on the door and she had to squirm away Raleigh tried to nip at her as she walked away and she swatted at him pursing her lips and narrowing her eyes even if she wanted to grin.

She opened the door and the smile suddenly vanished from her mind as she stared at the man standing there in a suit and long black coat.

“son of a bitch”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'frere' means brother in french


	7. Chapter 7

Marshal stacker pentecost sat at the small table in her apartment sipping from a cup of tea while she and yancy sat on the other side Raleigh between them as if they were guarding him.

Maybe they were.

Stacker was a human, but he had the fierce aura of any lycanthrope because of his former copilot tamsin had been a alpha, no one knew what she had changed into or if they did they never told her.

“it took me a long time you find you boys, anchorage Sheldon point nome” yancy shifted uncomfortably “people in our position move with the wall chasing shifts to make a living” layne shifted leaning one arm on the table “this isnt a purely social visit marshal, so why don't you tell us what you want?”

He looked at her unimpressed so at least that hadn't changed since she left then he sighed through his nose “I spent the last 6 months activating everything I can get my hands on, there's an old jaeger, mark-III”

Stacker looked up at the brothers “you may know it, needs pilots” 

She felt Raleigh go stiff at her elbow and she could since yancy growling under his breath, she reached out and placed her hand on Raleigh's knee and her tail slid to wrap around yancys wrist.

They went loose and stayed silent “I guess we weren't your first choice” the marshal looked at her “they were my first choice, all the other mark-III are dead or unfit for duty” she felt her wings twitch under her skin at that jab.

“Look Raleigh was still in my head when I was torn out of the pod, we were still connected when I hit the water, he felt everything, I wont make him go through that again, I'm sorry” yancy was clearly putting an end to this conversation and layne understood why.

She could feel how stiff Raleigh had become “haven't you herd Mr. becket” laynes tail struck out behind her and she barely contained her snarl at the force the marshal used in his voice “the world is coming to an end, so where would you rather die? Here?”

The marshal waved a hand to encompass her apartment, and herself as well “or in a jaeger?” the screeching sound her chair made when she stood up made all eyes go to her and the wings and horns that had appeared.

Her chest was vibrating with her nearly silent deep growl “you shouldn’t force them to make that choice” the marshal looked very unimpressed at her “I am not forcing them to make any choice miss kon”

She felt her lips curl a little into a threat of a snarl but stopped when a hand touched her arm, she looked down at the young shifter brows risen “fine, when you put it like that how can we say no”

The marshal looked like he wanted to smirk “then pack what the two of you need” this time she did snarled and her wings flared “if you think their going anywhere without me you got stupid since I left”

He glared at her and she met his eyes evenly "what use would you be to our operation miss kon?” she pressed her lips into a thin line “I'm the best engineer you ever had and you know it” his eyes narrowed but she was not backing down from this.

Suddenly she smirked and stood back wings settling “the way I see it marshal, you have two choices, you can either let me go with you freely, or I can follow you take out any guards that try to attack me and make you even more short staffed than you already are. It’s the end of the world marshal what would you rather have?”

Her smirk turned into a grin “me working with you, or against you”

The marshals lips twisted slightly in displeasure even as her tail swatted at the air slightly and she smiled, her wings draping over her shoulders like a cloak.

45 minutes later she found herself sitting on a jump hawk with Raleigh beside her and yancy leaning against his brother as he slept.

\---

They landed at the hong kong shatter dome with little to no fanfare, the jarring motion of the jump hawk landing woke yancy.

The older shifter sat up a stretched mouth opening with a large yawn before he stood up and started to walk out.

He frowned at the sky as Raleigh adjusted the collar of his jacket to keep the rain off his neck, they were both carrying bags slung over their shoulders, a young woman was waiting for them under a large umbrella.

Layne glanced up once then made a vague hand motion and the rain didn’t hit her or yancy and Raleigh when they glanced up they saw it was as if the rain was hitting a force field she shrugged when they glanced at her but she was more watching the young woman who was staring at her.

Nostrils flaring slightly she tried to since what the girl was and when she did she couldn’t help smirking, she hadn't found a kirin in a long time, she thought they were extinct.

The small woman's eyes looked at all of them as the marshal introduced her as mako mori then she bent toured the marshal and spoke lowly “私は異なって、それらを想像しました” 

Layne rose a brow at the woman, her voice was soft and she probably really thought they didn’t know what she was saying.

She opened her mouth but Raleigh beat her to it “hey” the young woman looked at him “良くも悪くも ?” her cheeks tinged faintly pink “私の謝罪のミスターベケットは、私はあなたの両方の試合をたくさん聞いたことがあります”

Raleigh dipped his head slightly as yancy snorted to himself “wonder how much of it was good” he muttered against her ear she shrugged one shoulder he didn’t see it so much as felt it since they were standing so close together.

They were jointed on the elevator by a very energetic man and a prude of a man, as they chattered arguing with each other or with Raleigh once they figured out who they were, the acidic scent of the kaiju organs made her lungs burn but she got use to suck unpleasant things a long time ago.

After all she barely survived the first attack.

As they were lead off the elevator she lost herself in thought, she imagined the burning heat of the nuclear bomb at her back, how much it hurt as she tried to escape.

She remembered the screams above all. 

Layne jerked when yancy touched her arm and she looked then nodded at him to assure him she was alright then she looked around three jaegers were in the dome, two resting and one being pulled in.

“this complex use to launch 30 jaegers out of 5 bays just like this one, now we only have 4 jaegers left” layne looked at the marshal brows furrowing “we didn’t know it was this bad” yancy said softly.

She zoned out from the conversation again as she caught a particular scent, with others overlaying it she focused to try and decipher what or who it was, as they walked passed the bay holding crimson typhoon she could smell the triplets playing basket ball, the only way most could tell them apart was their scents, they were sprites that could change their shape, they normally liked to turn into a gryphen a phoenix and a dragon.

It was very fitting for them because it made it easier for them to play tricks, the next scent she caught through the fog of grease and oil and metal was a scent that seemed to be overlaid with frost, it was a scent she knew, she looked to the huge bulky jaeger being pulled in and smiled, it was cherno alpha.

She knew the pilots from before she got kicked out, sasha and aleksis kaidanovsky, they were both shifters and changed into huge white sabercats, what made them even more rare than that was the fact they were mated but also alphas.

She saw sasha's red lips twitch up slightly as she leaned around yancy Raleigh and the marshal to get a better look and grinned herself with a small wave the mates nodded at her and continued to escort their jaeger to its bay.

“herc chuck! Gentlemen welcome to hong kong” she looked up as she caught a sudden new scent, it was sour and bitter and strangely sweet, shed recognize it anywhere, it was the smell of a hellhound, looking down as a bulldog waddled up dragging its leash she smiled at it, a man called the dog max and she didn’t look up to see who it was just bent down when the dog moved away from mako and stared at her.

As she and the dog stared his eyes flashed yellow red and she smirked before reaching out and rubbed his head “good hell spawn” she murmured and he groaned happily.

“herc and his son chuck will be running point in their jaeger striker eureka, fastest jaeger in the world, first and last of the mark-V’s Australia decommissioned it a day before the Sydney attack” she looked up then grinned “guess it’s a good thing your ancient ass was still around eh herc?” 

The ginger man turned and glared then he smirked “don't call me that ya lil’shit” she stood up and grasped hercs hand where he pulled her into a half hug “its good to see you again”

She meant that and he nodded once, someone cleared their throat and she turned her head to look at Raleigh and yancy “how do you know each other?” she chuckled to herself “well. Long story short I bitch slapped his brother and we've been friends ever since”

Yancy gave her a look that meant he would be expecting a explication and she expected no less.

She rolled her eyes as the marshal answered Raleigh's question of what they were doing there “where did you get something so big? Thought we were the resistance” she turned and slung her arm over Raleigh's shoulder “you did notice the big scary Russians back there right? What they cant get though favors they can get through intimidation”

He looked at her as the marshal nodded and turned away asking herc to follow “I’ll show you to your jaeger now” mako said turning and raleigh looked at her “miss mori” she turned back “would you give me a minute?”

Raleigh walked after the marshal and layne let him go shaking her head then turned to yancy lowering her voice “so you think they have a plan this time or are they just upping the bang and praying for the best?” he glanced at her from the corner of his eye then shrugged one shoulder.

“it’s the marshal, I think if he believes he has the slightest chance he's going to jump on it with both feet” she nodded slightly then someone yelled “max, com’mer”

She turned her head and then she stopped as she finally caught that scent, it was sweet with a touch of bitterness the base line scent was layered over by sweat and what was almost like sun warmed meadow grass, the smell of grease oil and the sky in the morning just after sunrise, she knew that scent.

Layne turned her eyes to the left and looked at the young ginger man knelling to rub the hound max’s side, when he glanced at her from glaring at yancy his eyes seemed to glow, her lips thinned into a pale line before she smirked a little throwing the young man off.

He couldn’t intimidate her, it wasn’t the first time she had met an angle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 私は異なって、それらを想像しました -i imagined them differently
> 
> 良くも悪くも -better or worse
> 
> 私の謝罪のミスターベケットは、私はあなたの両方の試合をたくさん聞いたことがあります -my apologies mr becket ive heard a lot about both of you
> 
> forgive me if its wrong i used google translate and did my best!
> 
> PS heres a link to what a kirin is, basically its a kind of peaceful spirit.
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qilin
> 
> its the Japanese one.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know i know its been a while and im probably late with this update but life got in the way hard core, I am so sorry dont hate me!
> 
> i have one more chapter after this, forgive me if they suck i was taking way to long and rushed them out, i really should have planned it out before i started writing.
> 
> let me know if you see any spelling errors or anything in the comments below i do read over these but sometimes i forget to edit them hehe.
> 
> kudos are love!
> 
> RD

After she had herded Raleigh back to yancy and mako started leading them toured the maintenance bays she cut away from them promising she would return but didn’t say where she was going.

Yancy probably wouldn’t like it if he knew.

In a corner of the bays that was unoccupied she released her wings rolling her shoulders and with a single flap shot into the air one more flap sent her above the heads of the jaegers and into the rafters.

She needed to think and she could never do that on the ground, she landed on a long steel beam that was just thin enough she could hook her heels over one edge and hand off upside down from the other side if she wanted.

She didn’t yet so she sat and stretched out her wings before folding them and sat watching the techs scurry around like ants below her scurrying this way and that.

It was almost like they were acting out some kind of dance, then again she was pretty sure she was the only one who'd ever think that.

She guessed it was a demon thing, seeing order in chaos, seeing chaos in order.

Sometimes if she was being honest she hated being a demon, hated the way people that knew, mostly humans, looked at her like she was about the eat their souls, some times she loved it, loved stretching out her wings and letting the sun warm up the leathery hide, relax aches from her wing joints.

The largest part of the time she didn’t care but sometimes she would get a pang in her chest, would wonder how humanity could be so quick to judge something they didn’t know, or understand.

She shook her head clearing away those depressing thoughts and closed her eyes reaching out with her senses gliding over people and things almost creating a second skin for everyone, and letting her memorize everything so much faster.

While she was young she had learned about a ability called sense, which was exactly what it sounded like, the power to sense things all around, unhuman's were able to feel it as a tingle over their skin, for humans it was the sudden shiver they got a feeling that made goosebumps prickle over their flesh.

‘someone walking over their grave’ they called it, layne always thought it was accurate because the power existed on the ethereal planes.

over the years she had learned to become so subtle with her sense not even other demons could feel when she used it, unless she wanted them to, she closed her eyes and it was like she was seeing everything and everyone all at the same time.

That had been hard to get use to at first.

Her sense prickled slightly as it found yancy and Raleigh both of them unpacking in a room they would be sharing her sense rubbed up against yancy in a greeting making his brother shiver when it became stronger where they were at, before she moved on.

Then suddenly there was a flash of blinding white on her mental map making her wince, in the light she saw angry grey blue eyes and freckles just before she cut off her sense.

The sudden darkness was almost as bad as the light in her minds eye, her head pounding as she reached up to rub her head “lil’ass” she muttered but to herself she wondered how he was able to detect her when even her own kind couldn’t.

Just then she felt a sense tingling at the back of her neck, it was like hers but it wasn’t, it felt heavier, and lighter, she closed her eyes for a moment letting it slide around her like serpents then she opened her minds eyes into the sense with a flash of fiery red embers as intimidation and felt it quickly withdraw.

She laughed to herself, that would teach the feather head to try and spy on her, and she was still chuckling when she found Raleigh and yancy sitting at a table in the mess herc and Raleigh beside each other, yancy across from them.

Yancy gave her an almost knowing look when he glanced up at her a moment before she slouched down beside him.

“what's so funny?” Raleigh asked poking at his potatos she shook her head “nothing important, and your supposed to eat that rals, not play with it” she felt yancy starting to smirk “give the kid a break layne, he's in shock, been a long time since he's seen food that didn’t glow”

She made a face at the older becket “that happened one time and its not my fault rations on the wall were radio active” 

As they started bickering with each other Raleigh smiled, it had been a long time since he'd heard them bicker with so much heart just for fun, they had all been suffering recently weather she admited to it or not he knew layne had dropped her ‘feeding’ shift as he called it, in exchange for working extra shifts on the wall.

It made him feel kind of guilty but any time she sensed that she would always do something to distract him or get into some argument with his brother to distract him.

Yancy had started picking up on it around the third argument, they didn’t know he figured it out but he did enjoy the distraction.

Suddenly something flew across the floor and layne that had been turned toured yancy didn’t see it until it slammed into her head she yelped loudly falling off the bench shed been stradeling and landed on the floor holding her head.

Raleigh and herc both stood to look at her as the wei triplets ran away tripping over themselves.

Yancy rose a amused brow “I guess I won” his lips twitched into a smirk “fuck off mut” he started laughing and Raleigh joined in, despite the pain it caused her now aching head layne very much enjoyed the sound.

They didn’t laugh enough anymore so every time they did it was a blessing.


	9. Chapter 9

Layne didn’t sleep, ask anyone that knew her it was the most obvious way to tell she was low on energy, another contradiction between her and every other succubus she had met.

Demonology 101 when a succubus or incubus got low on energy they slept more to conserve their strength, but layne forced herself to stay awake when the first tinges of hunger started to naw at her bones.

Unfortunately it meant she had to stop sleeping completely, otherwise she would sleep for days and she didn’t have time for that just like she didn’t have time to find her next meal.

But who had time for sleep? It was the end of the world.

Since she couldn’t sleep she found other things to occupy her time with, namely she helped with jaeger repair and maintenance.

Just like so long ago there was always plenty of that to go around.

She wished there wasn’t.

The techs on cherno alpha recognized her, the head technician a large black haired Russian woman named betty, remembered her from before she left, the woman was human but had a memory to rival any shifter.

She swept layne up into a immediate hug that probably would have crushed a humans bones, then sat her down handed her a work sheet a pair of work overalls and told her to get to it.

Layne was very happy to be back to work and possible teared up a little when the woman handed over laynes old tool belt.

She pulled on the overalls and shifted uncomfortably until she strapped the tool belt to her waist and tied the arms of the overalls just above it, now this? This felt like coming home.

Layne had a habit in dome that was hard to break, she kept her wings hidden, not because she was scared of prosecution she didn’t care was people thought about her being a demon, she just didn’t want her coworkers questioning her about them.

She might have been a succubus but she was pretty sure she was one of the oldest ones still around who didn’t run off to hell to escape, she also had several things pointing to her not being a succubus, namely the wings and the way she acted opposite to how she was supposed to but that last one was just stubbornness on her part.

Anyway she didn’t let her wings out but that didn’t mean she used the safety lines, cherno alpha was such a old jaeger he had plenty of hand holds or minor dents she could use to scale his leg faster then most of the other technicians.

She had just reached his knee and looked back and up slightly before standing on a small shellf and pulled out the work sheet betty had given her, skimming over the repairs and maintenance she found the left elbow joint was sticking for some reason, she reached into her tool belt without looking and extracted a piece of charcoal rubbing against the words ‘left elbow maintenance' and shoved both into the belt.

Turning back to the leg she scaled a little higher to about mid thigh then she glanced back before drawing up her feet and pushed off.

For a minute she was in mid air without her wings and she was weightless she didn’t linger on the feeling and simply stretched out her arms curving her fingers.

She hit the arm and latched onto the wrist just as she had planed twisting at the last minute she she was feet first, she could feel her adrenaline pumping as she started climbing again.

Layne was just shy of the elbow when she herd a cry ring out echoing through the bay.

“don't go gently!” her head jerked up as she put her foot into the curve of the elbow and she grinned recognizing that cry, cupping a hand around her mouth she returned it “into that good night!”

she herd a wrench drop somewhere just before the entire bay filled with the call of “rage, rage!”

each voice overlapped each other and blended into a harmony of voices and she turned her head “rage against the dying of the light!” there was a cheer and she smiled wider just before the sounds on construction renewed and the efforts seemed to double.

The small radio on her belt buzzed to life “that is good to hear” betty said with a strong Russian accent.

Pulling up the radio she clipped in the ear piece “I didn’t realized anyone still did it, doesn't it annoy the hell out of the marshal” a laugh boomed over the radio nearly making her loose her grip as she situated herself at the elbow “some of us still remember you and your brother, we knew you would return eventually, you have engine grease in your veins”

She laughed hands buried in the gears and hoses of the jaeger “that sounds kind of painful” it took her a minute the realized the mention of her brother didn’t hurt like it use to.

Maybe she finally was home, or as close as she could get.

\---

She finished her list of assigned repairs and maintenance around five am and by five thirty she had been banished from the bays, she skipped the public showers instead walking toured the cafateria.

Layne had her tray in hand and was looking for a open place to sit when a strong large arm wrapped around her neck and her tray was taken from her hands.

She struggled as the unnamed person walked her toured a table then dropped her in a seat, she made a face looking at the person and saw it was aleksis then sighed fight going out of her “you are so lucky your big” she told the man who smirked under his dark beard.

“more than you know little one” she looked as sasha sat down n her left the Russians sandwiching her between them “we hear Marshal didn’t want to let you come back” layne shrugged shoveling food into her mouth “yeah well it’s the end of the world, could he really turn down the offer of free help?” 

The Russians looked at each other smirking “will you be piloting?” layne stopped eating instead picking at her food like her appetite suddenly ran away screaming.

Finally she shook her head and grinned at her friends “incompatible remember, couldn’t even if I wanted to” the Russians hummed unconvinced but dropped the subject.

She was going to change the subject when she felt the soft tickle of light on her sense that had partially expanded, her brow furrowed and she opened her minds eyes slowly, he was trying to be subtle but he wasn’t being subtle enough.

She swept her sense easily aside hiding it from him, the light was almost confused as it swept past here she had been, smirking she started eating on autopilot as she dodged the angels sense.

All the while inching a subtle thin tendril back to where it originated from.

She could feel his annoyance as he failed to catch her let alone find her, she pushed away her tray discovering absently that she had finished eating and folded her hands.

The tendril reached him in just a few moments and she discovered he sat outside his room throwing a ball for max, the hell hound waddled after it as fast as his tiny legs could carry him.

He stopped when she completely disappeared she saw with her minds eyes how his face scrunched a little and he looked like he was concentrating not even noticing she was so close.

With a wicked smile she made the tendril of her sense completely undetected curl around him then she made it tickle his ear as she spoke through it “I can see you”

He jumped when she shoved at him but it was to late she had already pulled back in her power and put a tight lid on it, glancing back and forth she saw aleksis and sasha were sharing a knowing smile.

Layne stood from her table “I do believe I'm going to go support my brothers” the Russians smiled wider and rose to follow her.

The threat of impending violence always caught their interest, she guessed it was some kind of alpha thing.

Rolling her eyes she led the way to the kwoon.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, took me a while to get this out but real life got in the way.
> 
> as always please tell me if you find any spelling or grammar errors, I try to catch them all but I'm only human haha.
> 
> remember kudos are love and love nourishes my writing! (not really but it makes me feel warm in side)  
> enjoy!  
> RD

Arriving at the kwoon layne found Yancy leaning against the wall watching Raleigh take down what had to be his third opponent.

“have they even scored yet?” Yancy glanced at her as she leaned on the wall beside him “last guy scored 1-to-4” she tisked and glanced up to discover the candidates were all shifter.

Her face went blank as she looked at them they were all low level alpha or beta, she glanced at mako then shook her head in disappointment “their trying to dominate him, he's defending himself instead of searching for compatibility”

Yancy nodded “why do you think I'm standing where he can see me?” she growled under her breath and copied his position arms crossed leaning against the wall.

She watched Raleigh slam his opponent to the ground and pin him, mako calling out the final score of 4-to-0 Raleigh moved away letting the beta get up and walk away, Raleigh brushed sweat off his face and glanced over some of the tension leaking from his body when he found her.

It took everything she had not to put an end to this, Raleigh looked like he was fighting for his life.

Three more fights all of which Raleigh won she finally broke, Raleigh bent slightly breathing heavy from the exertion of the last fight and having his breath knocked out of him.

The last alpha hadn't relented.

And he still wasn’t.

The man a large Asian shifter snarled to himself before lunging again mako make a sound almost a cry of warning but to late the alpha was to close.

Yancy went stiff as if he was going to lunge but he was to slow, layne beat him to the draw.

The bo staff shattered when it hit her arm without relishing it her wings and horns had appeared she stared at the alpha which stumbled back but latched onto his new target and lunged again.

She met him half way using his weight and power against him she tumbled him to the floor and her hand graved his neck lifting his head so she could growl in his ear “you lost, walk away before I drag you home for the spawn”

He shivered with fear and scrambled away when she got off of him but he was still growling she looked at Yancy after he'd disappeared “he's going to be trouble” she muttered and he nodded in agreement.

When she looked up she saw the marshal glaring in rage, he wouldn’t have stopped it.

“Excuse me” she murmured Raleigh graved her shirt and she looked at him before molding her face into a soft smile “Take a breather kid it looks like you’re about to fall over” his lips thinned but he uncurled his hand from her shirt.

She turned back toured her target “marshal a word please?” his lips thinned further but he didn’t say no “this isn’t going to work, your human so you probably don't understand why you can’t set up fights like this” she nodded back to where Raleigh had dropped to sit cross-legged on the mat Yancy still standing there almost like he was guarding him.

The marshal rose one eyebrow “and why is that miss kon?” layne rose her hand to rub her head “because you’re putting an omega against every alpha and beta in the dome, it’s not only dangers but also deadly, not just for said omega but for everyone” she was keeping her voice down so no one other than the marshal could hear her, she didn’t want to offend Raleigh or work up any alphas still in the crowed itching for a fight.

“if one of them goes into a rage no one is safe and this is the perfect situation for one, if I hadn't stopped that fight your candidate would have beaten Raleigh into submission, seeing his brother beaten down would have thrown Yancy into a rage and pissed me the hell off” anger was a dark bitter taste in the back of her mouth “I appreciate your concern miss kon but everything is under control”

Her lips peeled back in a snarl “the end result of a rage on a omega is death marshal, my brother is literally fighting for his life out there because you think he needs to be controlled, we both know that's not how the drift works”

She pointed a finger at him very close to touching but not quite “redo your list, take off every alpha or move them to the very bottom, it’s the end of the world you can’t afford to lose a fully trained pilot to some fucktard alpha that can’t control himself”

They stared at each other for a minute neither one backing down or lowering their gaze, finally he stepped back once and nodded finally getting it “trials are postponed until this afternoon, miss mori” the woman who looked a little to pale nodded and scurried after him.

Layne turned to see everyone was walking away and chuck, hercs son was smirking slightly and looking at her, she couldn’t quite name the expression in his eyes before he turned away.

The kaidonovskys were standing by Yancy Raleigh still sitting on the floor as the all talked possibly catching up from the glory days, her brothers were relaxed so they had met before, possibly they were friends, or maybe the trust came from the fact that the two alphas were mated to each other and no threat to Raleigh.

Speaking of the man looked at her as she walked up beside him and she glanced at him before her wing extended a little pressing against his back, he leaned back into the touch for a moment before accepting aleksis offered hand and stood up.

Whatever the giant Russians were going to say was lost when an alarm suddenly went off both beckets jumped “what is that” Yancy said staring up at the flashing light.

Then they noticed how layne had started running and rushed to catch up “what's going on, kaiju?” Raleigh asked huffing she glanced back once “that’s not the kaiju alarm, that's a emergency all hands on deck for the jaeger bays, something happened”

Silence fell as they rushed toured the bays, they had just entered when something exploded, they dove for cover away from a ploom of black smoke and layne looked around then spotted a hulking black haired person.

“get to gipsys bays their reinforced” she ordered the beckets and waited just long enough for them to nod and turn the kaidonovskys following them before she bolted for the person “betty!” the Russian looked toured her and said something in Russian that seemed to be praise to a higher being “what's going on?” she demanded once she was close enough.

The woman shook her head “we were just coming in for our shift when cultists came in guns blazing and started blowing things up” layne’s lips curled into a snarl, her brother died because of a cultist.

“where are they?” betty shook her head and then yelled quick fire Russian into a radio “we don't know but they seem to be converging on gipsy danger”

Layne’s curse was crude and loud enough even betty flinched a little “what” she started as layne ran “that's where I told me brothers to go!” layne sliced through the crowed like she was born for it without enough room she couldn’t open her wings and the smoke from the explosion would make flying impossible.

“please” she begged silently “please let this be one of the times they didn’t listen to me”

\---

They were quick to get to gipsy repair bay that seemed untouched by the explosion and chaos in the main bay “what do you think is going on?” Raleigh asked

Yancy shook his head looking around and both the Russians shrugged as they walked over the catwalk that lead to gipsy shoulders, Yancy let Raleigh settle down first then sat beside him and almost on top of him.

Raleigh rolled his eyes at his brother while the Russians walked to the other shoulder and settled down together “your treating me like a girl again” Yancy looked at him surprised the he sighed and smiled “sorry” Raleigh rolled his eyes and turned before pressing his back against his brothers shoulder legs stretched out and arms crossed.

“comfortable” he grinned at his brother and settled his back firmer against his brothers side “very” what would have been a curse from his brother was interrupted by another loud explosion close enough they felt the heat.

Yancy graved him around the waist and jumped away from the heat the shifter muscles in his legs carrying them to the other shoulder “what was that?” Raleigh seemed to asking that a lot today

The three alphas shook their heads surrounding him without realizing it, for once he let it slide as they all looked at the smoke billowing from a doorway before people started running in and he felt them all start snarling “cultists” sasha snarled from his back

“I don't care who they are their going after our girl” Yancy said Raleigh graved Yancy’s arm making his older brother look at him and then he nodded and they jumped in unison toured the nearest catwalk.

What landed were two very large dire wolf looking retrievers the cultists stopped when they stood in the middle of their path but it was only for a moment before they snarled and stalked forward.

the first one was met with claws to his belly from Raleigh and the second only half shifted into some dog looking shape met with Yancy’s teeth.

When they heard a yowl they looked back and spotted two large white shapes attacking other cultists.

The moment of distraction cost them.

Raleigh yelped when a large dark shape collided with his side, a huge black wolf laying his paws down hard on either side of him where he tumbled and snapping at him with yellowed teeth.

Raleigh recognized the bitter egg smell as the last alpha from the kwoon.

He rolled onto his back and shoved his back paws into his belly shoving him off and rose to his feet, apparently their fight wasn’t over and this time it wasn’t just a feeling, from the look in the alphas eyes he knew.

This time he was fighting for his life.

The shifter didn’t take the time to growl simply lunged at him and Raleigh dodged to the left but when the shifter landed he pivoted on one paw and turned teeth just touching Raleigh's right hind leg.

The wolf was fast and maneuverable but he wasn’t as flexible as Raleigh and he was still a little bit faster.

He bolted from the cat walk searching for a larger area where he had room to maneuver, he jumped onto a higher larger cat walk that sagged at one end from what had to be the explosion earlier and a half a moment later the shifter was in front of him snarling and everything but foaming at the mouth.

He could hear the kaidonovskys yowling and hissing, could hear his brother howling and snarling as he dealt with his own fight, he knew he was on his own.

The wolf lunged at him but he aimed to high, Raleigh ducked low and bolted under him but felt a sharp burn on his left flank then he felt the catwalk shake as the shifter landed.

That was rather disconcerting.

He didn’t have time to think about the unsteady surface he was fighting on or the pain in his hip just lunged at the other shifter raking his claws at his face or any exposed area sinking teeth into the flesh of the tail.

The man hadn't understood the first time, Raleigh was going to make damn sure he understood this time around.

He was not going to be dominated by this asshole!

When he jumped away from another attack the cat walk shook violently this time and it made him stumble, giving his advantage to his opponent who lunged, Raleigh couldn’t regain his footing in time to avoid the wolfs claws on his shoulder.

He lunged turning to put some distance between them but the wolf struck out with his claws catching Raleigh's back leg and making him tumble.

He couldn’t get up before the wolf was on him mouth open in a snarl that seemed almost like a grin Raleigh tried to turn lips pulling back to bare his fangs he tried clawing and snapping but he couldn’t,

The wolf stood over him and snarled again using his alpha status to try and intimidate Raleigh who fought against his instinct to submit, to turn over and show his belly.

He wouldn’t let this bastard have that pleasure.

When his mouth latched onto Raleigh's neck he did so with a warning growl planting paws on either side of his face and he froze against his will.

The wolf rumbled as if he'd won but Raleigh wasn’t done, he had one last chance suddenly turning his head he latched onto the wolfs left paw the one closer and clamped down feeling bones snap under his teeth.

The wolf yowled but didn’t stumble away just jerked back enough Raleigh could turn over to big his claws into his belly but the wolf wanted that.

Raleigh saw his eyes the way they seemed to glow entirely red and knew the wolf had entered a rage, and he had wanted Raleigh to roll over.

He couldn’t dodge as the wolf snapped his head down jaws wide open, his cry of pain sounded more like a humans scream than a dogs yowl.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay! two chapters in the same night! I'm on a roll!   
> please tell me if you find any spelling or grammar errors in the comments below and enjoy!  
> RD

layne shoved into gipsy bay and looked up just as the wolf pinning Raleigh reared back jaws open.

“no!” she screamed to late, the cry of agony was short lived.

Her wings snapped out and she gave a single strong flap the fires that had sprung up from a bomb blast doubled in heat and size.

She plowed into the wolf on top of Raleigh and slammed it into the catwalk that shook dangerously.

She let it go satisfied with the crack she had heard and turned, Raleigh laid half on his back his shape returned to that of a human his legs were bent into a half fetal position and his head was turned to the left, his right arm was bent the right extended slightly with his hand face up and bloody like he'd been clawing at the wolf.

His naked skin was dyed crimson in places from the wolfs claws a bite was torn into the right side of his ribs.

His hair was falling into his face but even from a distance she could tell his eyes were closed she approached slowly “Raleigh?” she questioned and turned his face toured her.

It was pale and deep red blood covered his throat, her hand shook when she touched the wound still hemorrhaging blood, his eyes fluttered a little when she touched his cheek his breathing shallow and quick.

When his eyes opened they were foggy and dull it was like he didn’t know what was happening.

When he choked and blood dripped from his mouth he seemed to know exactly what was going on, his eyes filled with fear and he choked again “no no no calm down Raleigh please calm down its ok” his left hand twitched and his lips moved like he wanted to say something.

Then his eyes closed and he stopped moving “no no no no” she whispered placing a hand to his chest but she already knew he was gone.

She heard a creaking noise and a animalistic groan and lunged, graving a black pelt and slamming the creature into the already shaking catwalk.

The wolfs rage was sated by the blood on its jaws but she had plenty for both of them “I warned you” she screamed at it hands curling so tight into its pelt that blood began to drip making him wither in pain she slammed the creature down again “I warned you if you touched him again I would carry you to hell”

It whimpered tail tucking in but she didn’t care, didn’t care that her voice had deepened that her nails had grown longer, didn’t care that her skin had taken on a red tent to it or that her eyes had changed.

Her fangs had extended and her wings were out her horns curving out even farther to become extremely noticeable.

“I would like you to know I changed my mind, I’m not going to carry you to hell to roast on Satan’s hearth skinless while your pelt decorated his floor, I won’t take you there to be fed screaming to the fresh demon spawns, that will be to merciful an end for a creature like you, no what I have planned is so much worst”

She picked him up and slammed him on his back against the catwalk that had started to creek with one hand around his throat she held up the other one “I will leave you with your soul and your life, I have no use for them but I will take something even more dear to you”

She hooked her fingers and curled her lips her tail lashing the air behind her as her aura surrounded the shifter “I call on the birthing fires of hell, I call on the souls of the river of Styx, I call out to Cerberus, the guardian hound of hell, I call out to you for assistance!”

As she spoke the fires roared around them and grew, in her hand an object began o shimmer into existence some kind of black knife with red carvings that glowed with hellfire, the man suddenly found himself in his human shape the hand on his wind pipe becoming tighter.

“grant me the ability to punish this creature for a death wrongly caused, grant me the object I seek, aid me in separating the beast from the man” the object become solid and her fingers curled around its hilt.

Her fingers tightened as she drew back the knife “say goodbye to your skin” she shoved it forward out as the knife cut through his chest leaving a large red gasp that glowed with some kind of inner light.

The pain was worse than any human could fathom and yet it seemed to grow and she shoved her hand into the gap and graved hold of something.

When she yanked it felt like he was being torn apart.

He screamed blood dripping from his mouth as her hand came from the light holding something large and black and covered with fur she dropped the knife that disappeared with the hole in his chest leaving him shivering and pale, cold in a why he never felt before.

Suddenly something else exploded and the shaking catwalk finally buckled, sending all three of them into the empty space below.

Tucking in her wings she lunged for Raleigh letting the now furless shifted fall to his death, she didn’t care about him.

She curled her arms under Raleigh tucking his head into her shoulder the pelt spread over him before she slowly started to descend, he was getting cold, she thought he would appreciate the warmth.

When her feet touched the floor she tumbled to her knees still holding him she looked at his face and his bloody lips, touched his cheek with her fingers and then pressed her face into his hair eyes squeezed shut as she held him close.

There was a whine from the left a question she didn’t want to answer.

Slowly she laid him on the floor her more demonic appearance disappearing and she looked at the dark colored golden retriever as it approached eyes wide and staring, just as unbelieving as she had been.

The dog Yancy approached and nudged Raleigh's face sniffing him before nudging him again and then licked a long stripe up his face tail giving half a wag because that was always sure to wake the man up.

This time it didn’t.

She could barely watch as Yancy changed, could barely see the look on his face as he touched his brothers cheek, his hand was shaking “Raleigh? Come on kid wake up” he moved and pulled his brother into his lap “come on little bro we have a world to save remember? No time for slacking off. come on” he shook his brother slightly and then he fell silent.

Glancing at his face she saw his eyes filled with tears that were beginning to leak out “Raleigh?” he whispered and then he bent down also pulling his brother closer “please kid, please” 

Glancing up when she heard a soft spoken word in Russian she saw aleksis and sasha, the man’s mouth hung slightly open and the woman had hers covered with a hand.

“no, no” she looked back at Yancy hearing him sob the words into Raleigh's hair she reached out and grasped his shoulder “Yancy” she spoke softly and he looked at her eyes filled with dampness.

“lay him down” she spoke softly but she used to force of her age to make the request a gentle order.

He looked lost and squeezed his eyes shut before gently so gently laying his little brother on the floor and pushed at his hair, Raleigh's head turned with the touch “be glad you live with a demon” she said to the man before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

When she opened them everything had taken on a new shading of color, a new plane of existence coming into being.

From the corner of her eye she caught movement and with a glance her suspicions were confirmed small grey creature were withering in the smoke from the fires the explosions had caused.

They were called soul snatchers, creatures so low on the chart they barely qualified as demons, they were deaths errand boys.

“not today” she whispered and looked back at Raleigh and a thick red string that was slowly unraveling from his chest, she reached out fingers sliding around it and tugged, it twanged going tight but didn’t break, he still wanted to live.

Yancy’s questions fell on death ears as she watched the grey creatures skitter away from the string that slid into the smoke and disappeared, pulling her hand away she pressed two fingers to her own chest and knew they glimmered and sunk in but left no wound when she pulled them away.

No one else could see the string wrapped around her fingers, a thread of her soul, they also didn’t see Raleigh's stretching into the door to the netherworld.

And they had no idea what she was doing, could only feel the power of her since as she placed her left hand on Raleigh's chest and shoved her right toured the smoke the red string shooting out like a harpoon and puncturing the door.

She closed her eyes as her sting slid around Raleigh's, enhanced and strengthened by her since it protected and repaired the thread as she followed it taking no more than a moment before she found the end and the shape it came out of, Raleigh's soul was blinding in its whiteness the Spector of his body glowing white.

It was almost too bright for her demon eyes.

His back was to her as he floated and she saw a dark shape tugging lightly at the thread a dark mass of shadow whispering to her brother until she rocketed forward her body materializing at the end of her thread, her wings snapping out as she wrapped her arms around her brother “not this one” she hissed to the dark mass as her wings wrapped him in a cocoon the moment she had him in her grasp she rocketed backwards out of the door.

She opened her eyes as her since drew close and she cupped her left hand like she held something precious, which she did, Yancy could see the distorted space above her skin, the spot that seemed brighter than the rest, and he watched as she turned it palm down and placed it over Raleigh's neck.

“from the river of Styx I pull you. Through the gates of cleansing fire I guild you, now I ask you to hear my voice and return to us” she pulled her hand away slick with blood that had no source.

The wound on his throat was closed.

For a moment nothing happened and then slowly Raleigh's chest lifted in a short breath.

It was all Yancy needed he lunged to his brother pulling him into his lap and pushed at his hair “Raleigh? Rals, come on kid” another short breath and his skin flushed with color.

Slowly his eyes fluttered and then they blinked open to stare at them “what happened?” his voice was raw and his eyes darted around almost scared.

Layne herd whispering and glanced up at the Russians sasha had her head bowed thanking whoever was listening and aleksis gave a slight smile barely visible under his facial hair.

She slid to her knees in front of her brothers and pushed back Raleigh's hair, he leaned into the touch without thinking.

“nothing that matters now, we almost lost you but I brought you back” she pulled her hand away and tapped his nose “you have no idea how lucky you are that you live with a demon”

Yancy looked at her almost in awe “how did you” his question was cut off as smoke grew thick behind them.

Turning around layne rose to her feet just before the smoke opened in the middle like a mouth and a hooded figure stepped out.

A shiver ran down her spine but she suppressed it as the figure pointed at her with a hand made of bone fingers tipped with sharp talons “you owe me a soul” it said and then threw back its hood.

The face that stared at her was shockingly familiar pale blue eyes light amber hair and cream colored skin “and you owe me a favor” she said to the Spector pulling out a small black book from her shirt.

She flipped it open and pulled out a page with writing that seemed to glow and move on its own.

The specter of death pursed its stolen lips “how many years did you toil to gain a favor from me?” she narrowed her eyes at the Spector and then she smiled “long enough that I know I can gain it again, so what do you say? I know how much you have unpaid debts”

Death narrowed its eyes and snarled before he hand shot out and the paper in her hand disintegrated “my debt is paid” it said and drew up its hood before turning away, the smoke opened again spitting out fire and the figure bolted through making it snap shut then whirled and disappear.

“how did you gain deaths favor” she turned her head and looked at sasha before shaking her head and sighed “it’s a long rather twisted story my friend, maybe I’ll tell you one day over a bottle of your finest vodka”

Her red lips turned into a wicked smile “I will hold you to that” layne turned and approached her brothers just as the doors banged open again making them jump.

This time it was only the armed dome guards.

It wasn’t much of a relief.

Bending she helped Yancy raise Raleigh to his feet neither reacted when they were suddenly wearing pants but she supposed they were used to it by now.

They were worse than toddlers with clothing sometimes.

The kaidonovskys lead the way to medical and once Raleigh was being examined and his injuries wrapped she turned to the Russians.

“I need to have a talk with the marshal, make sure they get to their room please” sasha smiled “of course little bird” she said layne smiled at the name “thank you I owe you one” aleksis snorted “big words for someone who had book of favors, you owe us nothing” she smiled wider at the large man “thank you”

Turning she walked out the door dark pelt handing from her hip but she made sure to smile reassuringly to her brothers before disappearing.

They didn’t need anything else to worry about.

This one was all her.

It was time they had a little discussion.....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, I will try to update again before the end of the month but I'm split between several stories again.  
> the next chap should also have more chuck-layne action in it but I'm not sure, im trying to stay away from most things in the movie but still connect to the movie enough that it makes since but so its not like a rewrite of the movie itself but with a different person doing some of the lines.  
> tell me what you think and if you see any errors in the comments below!  
> kudos are love!  
> RD


	12. Chapter 12

“you killed him?”

Layne blinked slowly unimpressed with the man sitting in front of her “no sir, I just didn’t catch him when he was falling” his lips thinned further “you have wings you could have saved him” 

She narrowed her eyes a little then turned her face away “I made a choice between saving that worthless scum and saving my brother who he killed, it was the easiest choice I ever made”

Stackers brows rose slightly “he killed ranger becket? The same ranger becket currently in medical being treated for a few scratches?”

“those were more than scratches when he received them, you were in a lyconthropes brain once, you know how fast they heal”

The man hummed slightly seeming rather unimpressed with her explanations “it still could have been prevented” her lips curled slighting into a faint smirk that confused the man “I wouldn’t have saved him for all the money in the world, if even if would have closed the breach, I still wuld have let him fall”

Crossing her arms she looked around the office “its more mercyful like this ayway” the marshal who had risen from his seat and walked around to the front of his desk to stand in front of her rose a brow “care to explain”

Rolling her head on her neck she smirked a little more “not really” then the smirk fell and her face went blank and cold “he took my brother away from me, so I took his brother away from him”

She reached down and stroked the dark almost black fur hanging from her belt “what does that mean miss kon?” she could tell the man was losing pashents with her but didn’t honestly care.

Turning to fully face the man she crossed her own arms “its simple marshal, he took my brother, I took his pelt, his beast, I tore it out of his very being and that's what this is, the sign that his animal side was destroyed” she stoked the pelt again

“and the only reason Raleigh is in medical right now instead of the morge is because death owed me a favor, a rather large favor”

She saw the slight widening of his eyes and barely resisted her smile of victory, she had finally unsetteled the man if only a little “it doesn’t change the fact that you caused the death of the best candidate we had for ranger becket”

That sparked her anger the skin of her back growing tight like her wings wanted to bust through “this all started because of you facing a unmated omega against every alpha canidate you had avalablie thinking he needed someone to dominate him, to tame him”

He voice remained even but it did become colder it felt like the skin on her back and her head where her wings and horns resided was about to rip apart to let them free she held up a finger and pointed at him “one of your rangers died today marshal and it was your fault it happened, I wont allow something like that to happen again”

He rose one brow at her but the skin around his mouth had become tighter “and what are you going to do miss kon?” she stoon straight and flipped her hair out of her face her hands resting at her waist 

“I knew exactly who my brother copilot should be, she's the calmest person in this dome, she was extensively and expertly trained to be a pilot, a kirin can keep their head in the toughest of situations”

“that is not going to happen, she is to inexperianced and immature-”

Uncaring she spoke over him “kirin are leading peace parties before their out of dipers and how do you expect her to get experience when you don't let her-” suddenly feeling her eye sockets burning faintly she took a breath and stood straight pulling on years of negotiations in hell before speaking again.

“but I knew you wouldn’t do that, that's why I'm promoting myself, I will me watching these matches, I will be setting them up, I will be approving all choises” she placed her hands on her hips and this time didn’t fight the burning in her eyes “essentilly I'm taking the place of kwoon master”

If the marshel had the form to back up his additude layne had the feeling his scruff would be risen and he'd be growling “I am not going to allow that” she lost the fight and her wings snapped out at their full length her voice deepening “your choice holds no sway in this human!”

The marshel looked like he wanted to take a step back but didn’t instead facing her head on “my brother died because of you that is a infringment that cannot be forgiven, it might be the end of the world but hell is still burning marshel and I can make your life into one before the kaiju swallow you up, I will be overseeing these fights from now on” 

His eyes narrowed further and he did growl faintly then he smirked “fine but you will be fighting the current kwoon master for that privillage, if you win you will have the authority to stop a fight, you can assisst miss mori in compialing the list, but I have final say over all decisions”

With a faint sigh she crossed her arms eyes still narrowed “I can see that's all your going to give me so I’ll take it” he hummed at her lowly nd moved back behind his desk “and miss kon?” she turned from where she had sarted toured the door

“if you ever speek to me in the manner of which you just did you will be removed from the dome the lists shall be compiled back to the order, your dishonnorable discharge from the ppdc will be reinstated and should you try to return you shall be treated as a threat and nuterlised with extreme aggression”

Her hand tightened on the door enough she felt the metal start to bend but she had already lost control of her anger once, she needed to stay calm now “I'm just trying to protect my family, and I will do anything it takes to acomplish that”

His eyes narrowed at the force she put behind the word ‘anything’ but his lips also twitched slightly, like he thought he had her right where he wanted her.

He had no idea what he had.

“you have three hours before the match miss kon, use the time wisely” she pressed her lips into a thin line and turned back toured the door “whatever you say, boss” this time when his lips twitched she wasn’t there to see the ghost of a smirk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright so heres hopping the next chapter is a little longer.  
> please let me know if you enjoyed the latest chapter in he comments below and don't forget that kudos are love!  
> thank you!  
> RD


	13. photo time! (aka i got bored)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> heres some art i did of layne kon please forgive the lousiness of it!

the cover of my fic

and a profile of layne when i first started writing the fic


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay I finally updated! sorry it took so long I got distracted hehe
> 
> let me know what you think in the comments below!  
> and most of all enjoy!  
> RD

layne’s first destination was her brothers she had to be positive that Raleigh was alright before she did anything else.

Most would say she was over reacting and that he was fine, she would say they had no idea what she’d done and they also had no clue of much of a fickle bitch death could be when it didn’t get its way.

She was almost flying as she moved toured their room, something got in her way but she was to focused and jumped over them while still in the air she adjusted her wings that had appeared or perhaps had never been hidden and tilted zipping around a left corner and then a right.

All but air breaking when she spotted the door she wanted she jumped up the three steps and then opened the door.

The room was darkened but her sharp eyes caught two blonde heads turning toured the door, one of them sleepy the other one obviously guarding the former wrapped around the larger body protectively.

She had to smile at the sight her tense muscles relaxing.

The door closed heavily as weight seemed to fall from her but with it went strength, her stomach gave a cramp to remind her it was empty but she pushed it away and approached her brothers reaching out to stroke Raleigh's hair, the young man leaned into the touch “how ya doing kid?”

He gave her the stink eye halfhearted before snuggling back into Yancy, obviously making space for her “just tired, no injuries that won’t be healed by this afternoon”

She sat down on the bunk heavily then bent forward nudging the back of his head with her nose before letting her own head rest there.

“well you had a big day so far, you don't have to do the trials this afternoon, I can pull a few strings get it redone for tomorrow” the head her own rested against turned and a hand pushed at her hair “I'm alright layne, I swear, and the sooner I'm through the alphas the sooner I can start looking for my actual copilot”

Her shoulders started to go stiff but then she sighed, shed expended her anger for the day now she was just to weary to try.

She felt a hand move and rest heavy on her side and knew it was Yancy’s, the gesture of comfort itself was touching, it also allowed him to keep an arm over his brother so it was a win in.

In return she played her arm around Raleigh's middle and let her tail stretch over them to curve around his leg.

The touch and connection made them all relax, enough that she started to fall asleep but caught herself at the last second, sleep pulled at her hard as she was caught in a riptide but she refused to back down.

No yet.

insatiable hunger gnawed at her bones and she knew, it might not be yet but if she didn’t eat.

It would be soon.

\---

She had an hour before the match with the kwoon master and she couldn’t shake off her drowsiness, and while it was comfortable staying with her brothers she knew it would only make the sleepy feeling worst.

So she decided to get cold, wake up the only way she knew how.

She went flying where the air was thin and cold in only a t-shirt and pair of old jeans, let the cold air slip into her bones chase the gnawing hunger back into its dark little corner and shock the drowsiness from her mind.

When she descended beck below the heavy hanging rain clouds she felt much better, so she decided to warm up extending her wings to the full 18ft she pushed hard as the Shatterdome came back in sight.

She imagined she was surrounded by opponents and fought as if she was in the middle of a winged combat.

Something she had excelled at in her youth and even after she felt hell it was a good way to keep up her strength.

Rolling to the left to avoid a imaginary lunge she dove forward toured the top of the dome and she she saw a blur of something fast and yelped as it hit her bringing her down to the top of the dome before she could regain her stability.

Shaking herself she sat up and caught something landing a few feet away from the corner of her eye.  
With a slight growl she leapt to her feet and turned just in time to see large nearly completely white wings fold against a young man’s back and silvery green eyes glared at her.

Smirking she straightened from her crouch and crossed her arms “chuck Hansen, do you know how rude it is to knock someone out of the sky like that?”

His glaring eyes narrowed “do you know how much I don't care? How do you expect to be kwoon master if you can’t even tell I'm behind you” she rose a brow 

“I didn’t know you cared little Hansen”

He glared harder “I honestly don't give a shite about you hell spawn but you fuck with my bomb run you’ll be praying to be locked back in hell”

With eyes narrowing her wings shuffling on her back “those are some pretty big words for a fledgling, do you really think you can banish me just because your mother was an angle and you have those pretty little wings? I've whipped my ass with things bigger than you” 

His lips shifted just enough to form a smirk “but I doubt you were half starving then”

Her wings flared out without her even noticing and she took a step “you think I don't still have the ability to fuck you up?”

“I think you’re going to get us all killed by setting up the has been with a subpar copilot”

“would you rather I shove him in there with an alpha?”

Chuck rose one brow at her snarling “do I look heartless? Were short on pilots as is try and match him with an alpha genius is gonna get himself killed”

That... surprised her.

She drew back both brows raising “I also know if you put him in there with another omega they’re not going to know what the fuck their doing and there's only four betas in this dome with any chance of matching up with him”

She tilted her head “why are you telling me this” he sighed as if she was retarded “because the marshal won’t listen and we need every advantage we can get if we want to blow these bastards back to hell, I still doubt you’ll be able to win but on the very slight chance that you do”

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a flash drive then tossed it at her she caught it between her palms “those are the recruits I would suggest” she looked at the flash drive then back up at him “your helping me”

He rolled his eyes again “no I'm just trying to keep myself from dying on this suicide run, I quite like my life” she smirked slightly closing her hand around the device “don't worry I won’t let anyone know your helping a demon”

With a snort he crossed his arms “if I wanted to help you id fuck you get you back into fighting shape”

Her laugh seemed to surprise him “I'm not nearly as hungry as you think fledgling” he growled at her “just don't starve before the mission hell spawn”

With that he turned away and she watched as his wings spread and he jumped from the edge of the roof drifting down to the jaeger bays and she couldn’t help noticing they weren't white after all, on the outside the marginal converts alula and part of the primary coverts were dark enough they looked almost black.

How interesting.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god I'm such a horrible person!!!!!!!! I completely forgot about the next chapter in this and I had it done a week ago!
> 
> Sorry guys but good news is I updated it before next year =) (lol)
> 
> Unfortunately the update after this one will be slow because I have some more stories I started, like a angel/demon AU with stony as well as a hacker/thief one.
> 
> but good news I'm almost done with my Sherlock holmes fic so I'll have more time to work on this one! -maybe-
> 
> let me know what you think about this most recent chapter in the comments below and if I screwed anything up.
> 
> and remember kudos are cookies! and I loves me some cookies! =)
> 
> but more importantly-  
> enjoy the story!
> 
> much love.  
> RD.
> 
> P.S. I blame like half of this on my buddy AF from fanfiction, she gave me plot bunnies haha.  
> RD

She had just descended from the roof via stairs when she spotted Mako coming toured her “hey Mori” she called jogging toured the young woman who looked up “Miss Kon I was just coming to look for you about the candidate’s”

Layne nodded “I figured, here” she pulled out the flash and tossed it at the woman who caught it in one hand calmly “put those four on the list for now and we’ll build a dialogue from there”

The woman nodded and stayed silent for a moment Layne was about to ask what was wrong when she spoke “I am sorry Miss Kon, the last list I compiled caused your brother great harm”

To stop the apology she reached out and placed her hand on the woman's head “you did your best with the information you had available, don't apologies for that Mako, and please I'm not the formal type, call me Layne”

Mako bowed slightly “yes ma’am”

“What did I just say about formal?”

Mako smiled and straightened “yes Layne, I believe you’re expected in the kwoon?” Layne looked around until she noticed the large clock on the wall and cursed “thanks, put those four on the top of the list! I’ll meet you after the fight”

She was running as she spoke and didn’t look back to see if the woman nodded, once she reached the locker room she graved a pair of gym shorts and a tank top the shorts were blue as was normal for the PPDC and the shirt was black.

The dog tags she always wore jingled slightly as they rested on top.

Tying her hair at her nape she looked at herself the skin under her eyes only a little darker than the skin around them, with a sigh she closed them and reached up to grab the dog tags around her neck “wish me luck” she said to no one.

When she arrived at the kwoon she knew it was still a couple of minutes before the fight but there were already people gathered round.

They parted when she walked up allowing her to pass, she could see money changing hands mostly being held by tendo who nodded at her in greeting before she saw someone stood in the center of the mats.

It looked like a man but she knew it wasn’t a man not really.

Straight silver hair was tied into a loose braid that hung to his shoulder blades but despite the allusion his hair gave to him being old his face was youthful looking like he was in his thirties.

The only flaw that wasn’t really a flaw was the way his left eye was completely white and a scar slid from above his eye brow down to his cheek in a silver line.

She knew exactly what he was and the moment she was on the mat bowed to him in a show of respect voices around her murmured slight in either confusion or respect but all she cared about was the rumble of laughter in front of her.

“I hear you want to take my job” she straightened up and made herself relax “no sir I just want to borrow it” the man hummed to himself “your respectful, from the whispers I've been hearing since your arrival I thought that wouldn’t be the case”

She bowed her head slightly in a form of shrug never taking her eyes off the man “I respect those that deserve it, I've always respected those born with fire under their skin”

The dragon smiled reviling perfect white teeth she was sure transferred over to his scaly form and he stepped forward and held out his hand “my name is roger Drake the name given to me by others of my kind is wind glider”

She took his hand in her own and laid hers over top of them letting him place his second hand on top of hers, a show of respect as he could easily kill her like this “my name is Layne Kon, my true name is Nalayneziel”

He hummed studying her closely staring at her and she stared back calmly she saw a spark of red small as the point of a needle in the pupil of his remaining eye before he smiled and let go.

“As far as I'm concerned the job is yours, but I suppose we can still put up a show for the children”

Layne smiled and bowed her head “it would be an honor”

\---

The marshal walked into the kwoon 5 minutes later as she stood looking at the rack of Bo staffs against one wall while Drake watched the gathered people almost amused by their murmuring.

When she heard the man stop on top of the stairs in the opposite empty door way of the kwoon Layne picked up a staff and checked its balance before twirling it in her hands.

Drake was smirking when she looked at him and she couldn’t help returning it, the dragon knew she was doing this just to annoy the marshal.

“When you’re ready,” he said in an annoyed rumble of a voice.

With a last wink to Drake she stepped onto the kwoon mats and held her staff in a ready position.

Drake narrowed his eyes marginally even if she still saw his amusement and then he swept it away and held his own staff at the ready.

He attacked first the smack of wood on wood loud in the still air of the room every person present almost holding their breath as Layne and Drake danced around each other matching blow for blow.

If this was a match up she would say they were compatible but she knew no dragon could ever step into a jaeger if their copilot wasn’t on of their own kind.

A dragons mind was too dense and expansive for any other creature to withstand, of course she was sure that this dragon had used the excuse of brain hemorrhaging concussions or any of those other nasty human ailments that they couldn’t get or test for to see if he lied or not.

It was an easy way to get out of having to pilot something that required a health brain.

Each time she swung at Drake he met her attack with one of his own, the collision of the staffs was so strong it sounded like a gunshot making the people watching jump.

The fight continued for a while, each and every blow they exchanged growing louder until their staffs met once more and it sounded almost like and explosion.

Then the Bo staff she held as a guard snapped and the blow landed on her back, she’d been half turned away as she blocked to follow through with another attack of her own.

Sharp pain radiated down her spine and the force of the blow sent her all but flying across the mat.

Having to take a minute she gasped in a few breaths then pushed herself up slowly, she reached back to touch the sore spot then looked back at Drake who still stood ready, she glanced to the left toured the gathered figures and spotted Raleigh and Yancy looking at her worriedly, she smirked at them slightly then launched at Drake.

Without the staffs they moved faster, punching and kicking. Dodging and lunging.

It was the most fun shed had in years.

The fight lasted nearly another 20 minutes before finally she drew back and punched Drake in the face as hard as she could.

The strength behind the blow as it landed on his face caused him to fall back tumbling for a moment before stopping, her last blow had bloodied his lip but her nose was bleeding so she thought they were even.

Drake pushed himself up into a sitting position and looked at her obviously surprised by that blow.

She just wiped her nose and he nodded once “you’ll work” he said and stood up dusting off his dojo pants then walked toured her and held out his hand.

Layne took it and shook with a nod of respect.

Drake smiled a little before letting go of her hand “I'm sure you’ll be an amazing kwoon master, marshal” Drake nodded at the man who was doing his best to catch them on fire with his eyes alone then he turned toured the crowed and gave a half bow before walking away to the locker rooms.

She barely resisted smirking at the marshal as she turned and wiped blood from under her nose “Miss Mori” she greeted the young woman with a smile.

The young woman bowed her head slightly “I believe we have copilot candidate trials?” the young woman nodded again and Layne smiled as she looked at stacker “might I see the list so we can commence the trials?”

Stackers eyes narrowed further and his lips became a thin line as Layne held out a hand toured Mori for her clip board.

Mako handed it over with a quiet ‘yes ma'am’ and Layne only took her eyes off stacker to look at the paper turning her back to the man and looked down the list the name serial number and designation of each candidate was typed into neat little lines.

They were grouped by breed, most were humans, and she mentally wrote them off, next were some changelings and half creatures.

The four betas were put right at the top of the list.

Looking up from the paper she looked at Mako “we'll start with these four and go from there, might I have a pen miss Mori?” the woman held one out and she started making her own marks on the paper then wrote in something on the bottom before clicking the pen and handing the clip board back.

“It’s your show now marshal, I'm just here to make sure it’s fair and to get the best match possible” she said as Mako looked at the last page and blinked at the name written there before glancing up at Layne who winked at her when the marshal looked away to begin the trials.

Written in neat slanted scrawl was Mori. M. KIRIN followed by Makos serial number.

She looked up at Layne who had crossed her arms and the demon winked at her before turning back to the crowed and calling out the first four names on the sheet from memory.

Mako couldn’t hold back her smile.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my god it took me way to long to get these out haha I'm sorry, I got distracted my other stories!
> 
> also I kind of rushed to get this one out so i'm sorry if it sucks, im trying to get kind of back on track with the movie.
> 
> tell me what you think or if you find any mistakes in the comments below!
> 
> and leave a kudo if you enjoy the story!
> 
> but most of all, please.
> 
> enjoy!  
> RD

The four betas gathered at the edge of the mats, they stood like a soldier should and as she looked at the four of them she had a bad feeling in her gut.

Suffice to say she wasn’t that surprised when 10 minutes later the first of the four candidates hit the mat with no points.

Raleigh didn’t even look that happy about it but at least he had relaxed from the day before, he was moving more fluidly, if kind of rough.

The second beta came at Raleigh with an aggressive approach although he himself didn’t act aggressive, the clacks of the Bo staffs was loud so she guessed they were matched in strength.

Just not in skill.

This one did manage to score a point before being pinned.

As the third one slid onto the mat looking more cautious than the others Yancy slid up beside where she was standing “it’s not looking good” he muttered leaning against the wall beside her.

Layne glanced over at him as Raleigh and the third opponent started to fight.

“Oh none of them are going to match your brother, sorry to say but he'd damn near incompatible when he has his heart set on something”

Yancy gave her a confused look, his brow furrowing at her smirking lips “trust me” she said at number three was taken down the first time, she could since Raleigh was becoming frustrated.

She would be to; they all knew this was pointless.

The closest any of the candidates got was two points and nearly an hour later Layne looked at the clipboard in her hands smirking “Layne” Raleigh said in annoyance, she glanced at her brother and made a placating motion with her hand.

He growled under his breath until she sent him a pointed look.

“Miss Mori” she said looking toured the woman while tucking the board under her arm.

She perked up a little “is there a reason for your disapproval? You did build this list yourself”

Mako tilted her head “I'm sorry?”

“I've been watching you for the last three matches and every time ranger becket outmatches a candidate you look like you just found a bug in your soup, care to tell me why you’re so critical of their performance?”

The younger woman's face went slightly read in a blush and her lips tightened “it’s not the candidates performance miss Kon, it is ranger beckets” her face pinched in an amazingly cute yet annoyed expression.

She could all but hear Raleigh swoon behind her.

“He is not taking these fights seriously, he's gambit, and he could have taken all of them two moves sooner”

From the corner of her eye, she saw Raleigh pull back his head a little and shift on his feet “you think so?” he phrased it like a challenge.

That was the fighting spunk shed been aiming to bring out.

Oh and look at that, it was echoed in Mako's eyes “I know so”

Raleigh took a step forward “you think so then why not show me how it’s done? Let’s give her a shot”

She rose a brow at the marshal waiting for his response, even Mako turned to him but he was quick to shoot it down “stick to the list we have ranger, only candidates with drift compatibility were added”

Layne smirked “he is sticking to the list marshal, have a look for yourself” she walked toured the man and held out her list “albeit Miss Mori is on the last page she does have compatibility with ranger becket, and I see no reason why we can’t change the order of the list”

The marshals hand tightened on the clipboard “why exactly did you alter the list miss Kon?” he asked.

She tilted her head and put one hand at her hip “honestly I'm tired of you scrambling and throwing him into tests with people that would never hope to match up to him, no offence Mako”

The woman nodded once, signaling there was none taken “long story short marshal I'm tired of these pointless games and I want to see results” plucking the board from the marshals hands she turned away pretending to study it before winking at Raleigh.

“Unless you don't think your best and brightest can handle it in the ring with a has been” Raleigh made a sound of annoyance at being called a has been but it had the intended effect.

She felt the marshal glare at her and then murmur something to Mako.

Returning to her wall, she could see Yancy fighting back a grin “you sly dog” she smirked at the man “you’re the dog I'm just a little demon trying to save the world”

She turned away from Yancy so she didn’t see him rolling his eyes instead she watched Mako step onto the mat “you both know how this works, four strikes marks a win, Mako try to avoid the face? It’s his best part”

Raleigh grunted and glared at her but she just smiled “when you’re ready”

Her brother looked at Mako giving her advice as they swapped sides on the mat then “I'm not going to dial down my moves”

“Then neither will I” she rocked back on her heels murmuring toured Yancy “I like her”

The shifter hummed.

Raleigh scored the first point because Mako stiffened up and didn’t move fast enough his Bo rested just above her head, of course she smacked it away and left her own just above Raleigh's nose.

Layne saw Raleigh's eyes light up in his usual happy yet mischievous way and he swung his Bo down taping makos arm “two/one, concentrate” before backing away.

From there they traded quick blows; the way they blocked was rather amazing to watch.

She hadn't seen a true dialup in a long time.

Mako scored next point because she twisted the bow in her hands as Raleigh was stepping back leaving himself open “2/2 better watch it” looking close Layne saw their eyes matched.

Closing her own eyes as they stepped away from each other she took a breath at the sound of further strikes she opened them slowly but everything looked different, color had deepened and overlaid each other.

Turning her eyes back to the match, she smiled at what her demonic vision saw.

Raleigh had always had a strong presence around him, just like his brother and with her demon eyes, she could see it like that wavering thing that happened to the air above a hot highway.

Everyone had it and usually the presence repelled each other or fit together depending on how well people knew each other.

Very few people were able to let it merge.

It was what true drift compatibility was, the ability to match yourself to another being so perfectly that everything thought you were the same person.

Even yourself

And there was no space between the presence of Mako and Raleigh, it had merged into one.

Mako pinned Raleigh staff nearly beaming him in the side of the face and she seemed surprised by it, or maybe they were just staring lovingly into each other’s eyes.

Layne really needed to stop reading those romance novels.

When the marshal spoke her face twisted because she could see the way their matching was disrupted separating back from one into two.

She approached the man as the two started to fight again “marshal, kindly don't interrupt a dial up of this magnitude” she kept her voice low as not to disturb the fight and actually winced when Mako was thrown to the mat.

“Kindly keep your opinions to yourself Miss Kon” turning her face away from the fight knowing how it would end she gave the man a hard look “I'm serious marshal, you can’t see what's happening the way I can”

The marshal looked at her and she couldn’t name what was in his eyes “I can see perfectly well Miss Kon, enough” he called as Mako pinned Raleigh, as the two rose the crowed that had gathered in the other door way applauded.

“I've seen all I need to see” Layne crossed her arms and stepped away from the man “me to, she's my copilot”

“Agreed” Layne said and saw joy start to build on Makos face, one of the requirements for being copilots is the kwoon masters approval “that's not going to work”

And there goes that joy.

“Why not?” Raleigh was obviously confused but Layne was just annoyed, even the crowed was murmuring among itself “because I said so, the decision is made, report to the Shatterdome in two hours and find out who your copilot will be”

The marshal walked away and Mako looked about ready to cry, as she stepped away Raleigh said her name, quietly and she glanced at him before quickly scurrying away.

Layne rose her hands and rubbed her face with a groan “I'm getting to old for this shit” she complained and turned, the angle was standing in the doorway hands behind his back and he was smirking but she saw it was forced.

He met her eyes for just a moment before turning and strutting away.

Turning toured Yancy she shoved her clipboard at him “take care of rals, I'm getting to the bottom of this”

“Layne” she ignored the man and stormed after the marshal, she caught him in the elevator and he didn’t look pleased “what the hell is your issue with me marshal”

He raised one eyebrow at her in a way that was either annoyed or exasperated possibly both but she didn’t really car too much.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about Miss Kon”

“oh cut the crap” she reached back and smacked her fist into the stop button for the elevator “it’s just you and me stacker, pilot to pilot, no records no fancy suits, I remember back when I was still part of the program you weren't nearly as much of an asshole, what is your issue with me?”

He looked at her “I don't have any issue with you aside from your total disregard for authority” 

She rolled her eyes “says the same man that skimmed my test’s in the academy and convinced me and Connor to sneak out with you and Tamsin to the local bar, come on we use to be friends tell me why your being so hard on me and rals”

If looks could kill, she would be dead ten times over now “Mr. Becket is a nearly incompetent pilot that nearly got his copilot killed in much the same way you did, if he wasn’t our only option I wouldn’t have called him in”

She took a step back and tilted her head “and there it is, you never believed she did something to the jaeger, what you think just because your inside it you control everything?”

“I think it’s incidental that he died and you didn’t”

“You don't think I wonder the same thing? I loved Connor, he was everything I had”

“Then why did you launch the escape pod?”

“I didn’t, I'm a fucking demon stacker, if I die here I just get sent to hell and fuck it out with a couple warm bodies, rinse and repeat”

He crossed his arms “I know you hate me for something I didn’t do, I know you were the first one in line yelled for me to be court marshaled even before I found out what that woman did and nearly killed her”

She approached him but he didn’t back down she knew he wouldn’t “I know your little human brain thinks it’s an alpha but it’s not, it has no idea what true war is and it doesn’t remember true compatibility can’t be forced”

Reaching out she curled her fingers into his perfect suit “you’re a desk jockey now marshal, you forgot what it’s like to drift outside a machine, and even if you do remember your letting your hate of me get in the way of you doing your fucking job!”

Shoving him back, she turned and smashed the button so the elevator started again “hate me if you want but don't take it out on my brother. Not when you have no fucking idea what he went through and especially not when you know I'm right, those two are the only hope you have left of saving the world, or did you forget that if this last ditch effort fails were all going to die? This is bigger than you so get your head out of your ass and start acting like it!”

Turning away, she let her wings burst from her back “you’re getting blood on your shoes”

She flapped once and shot through the open top of the elevator rolling anger and dark memories from a darker time haunting her.

She didn’t tell Raleigh the real story.

At least not all of it.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and here is 2, its a little backstory since I kind of screwed with what she told Raleigh in the first few chapters but this gives her more depth. 
> 
> I think.
> 
> updates will be slow but I promise i'm working on this story and i'm not abandoning anything!
> 
> let me know what you think and if you find any errors in the comments below!
> 
> and please  
> enjoy!  
> RD

2015 California Shatterdome.

It was a three am call, a category two Kaiju was off the coast.

Layne kon and Connor Johnson were the best pilot team the California Shatterdome had ever trained, she was a demon, and he was a multi shifter that really liked turning into large birds to annoy her.

They were family.

Layne wasn’t the only one to ever drift with the man of course, for his first few months he would drift with this woman Jamie fox, a human.

He started drifting with Layne when Jamie broke her leg and the other jaegers were down for repairs, the entire dome had been scrambling but Connor had just looked at her and told her to suit up.

The marshal barely agreed because she was supposed to be incompatible, then again, a kaiju was roaring toured the city and she was the best chance anyone had of making it out of the ordeal alive because she had known Connor the longest.

She was sure everyone had been signing their wills when they booted up the jaeger, hell even she had been signing one though she couldn’t really stay dead, perk of being a demon.

But when the drift connected, it held.

Everything looks different, she wasn’t just her anymore, it was like, the demon Layne Kon no longer existed, she was more, so much more.

Connor told her that was the first time he'd felt like that, he said when he drifted with Jaime it was just, there, they were sharing each other’s mind but they didn’t become one person.

According to the reports later, they had broken every record for first time drifts set so far, their compatibility rating stayed in the 90’s.

Of course, Jaime didn’t take being demoted to jaeger tech to well; she was expecting a hero’s welcome, to swoop in and take over and become a star.

Layne should have expected something but she was still too hung up on the feeling of drifting.

Maybe if she paid more attention she could have saved her brother.

\---

This deployment was routine, accept for the fact that a general was in loccent to watch them kill the Kaiju.

It had something to do with funding, they never asked.

Their jaeger was called hellfire hound, formally bird fire nova, it was the fastest and strongest yet, so for a mark II½ not very fast.

They met the Kaiju just off the miracle mile, Layne had called in to make a note that the jaeger wasn’t moving the way it usually did but shrugged it off as a minor mechanical error.

She should have asked.

The fight didn’t go well, hellfire hound was cripples in the first few minutes alone and their guns wouldn’t spin up.

Connor knew something was going to happen, he'd been saying it for days, telling her he wouldn’t always be there, that some things were out of there control.

Looking back Layne knew that the man knew he was going to die, but rather than tell her so she could do something to save him, he kept it to himself and she never asked.

She never asked.

Layne made the ultimate mistake, one that almost every jaeger team made and regretted.

She started to think she was invincible.

That they were invincible and nothing could ever take them down.

Backup had been called, tactic Ronan was moving in from the miracle mile but it was too late.

She was more than ready to ‘die’ and come back to surprise the sit out of Connor, she was reaching for the ejection controls on his pod when she was suddenly yanked back, she screamed at Connor, she remembered that.

The man just smiled and said he didn’t want to watch her die “I can’t watch you die”

She was shoved into the escape pod before she could say, “I don't die” she shoved it through the drift at him but he had blocked her out, something he had a habit of doing when he did something he knew she wouldn’t like.

The pod was just about to eject when something punctured it.

She still had the scar on her stomach.

For a moment as the escape bod freed itself she heard Connor repeating ‘I love you sister’ over and over again until he was only saying ‘sister’

And then she felt fear and pain not her own and then ‘I'm scared’

And then silence.

A deafening silence where there used to be so much noise.

Death where there used to be life.

She felt him disappear from the plane of the living, felt it in a way not even Raleigh would have felt it had his brother actually died.

When they pulled her from the pod, she was covered in blood and not talking.

She didn’t talk for months, during that time they put her to work in the bays repairing the jaegers.

Almost a year and she still barely talked, until she almost killed Jaime.

Then she could stop.

Jamie admitted wanting Layne dead, said she wanted Connor back, wanted to be pilot again, the woman said even if Layne hadn't done it herself, if she had only let Connor return to his real copilot it never would have happened

Said if Layne had stepped aside, Connor would still be alive.

Said Layne killed him.

Layne believed her.

The last thing she never asked was if she was right.

2025 Hong Kong Shatterdome.

For nearly ten years Layne had blamed herself, she had nearly gone hungry after leaving the PPDC the first time.

Sitting on top of the Shatterdome now, looking at the calm but deadly water she still believed the woman was right.

If only she had stepped away, Connor would be alive.

The reason she didn’t tell Raleigh the real story was because she herself could barely face it, and she didn’t want the man to confirm what she believed, that she was the reason it happened.

She didn’t want someone she cared for to turn around and tell her she had killed her own brother.

Even if it was true.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know ive been exceptionally slow recently with updates but I keep getting writers block and working on fics I don't even have posted yet.
> 
> anyway I finally finished a chapter here, let me know what you think in the comments below and if you like it leave a kudos.
> 
> but most of all please enjoy.  
> RD

Layne was in the middle of taking her aggression out on a heavy bag in the gym offset from the kwoon when the call went out for Raleigh to report to the jaeger bays.

She knew she should offer him some encouragement, be there for him if nothing else but she couldn’t.

Not with thoughts of Connor weighing heavily on her mind.

“Hey” layne jumped at the sudden voice and looked at the doorway where one Herc Hansen was standing, the sudden impact of the bag hitting her made her stumble.

When she heard Herc chuckling she felt her neck get warm “what are you doing down here?” he asked walking into the room “thought you'd want to be there, keep Yancy from tearing loccent apart”

Layne rubbed her face before pushing back her hair “just thinking”

She heard the Australian make a sound in his throat she couldn’t identify “I know that look, what's goin on in that head ah yours kon?”

“Nothing that should be repeated in mixed company” she graved a towel and started wiping at her face with it, her exhaustion showed when Herc, a human, was able to walk up on her and she not even notice until his hand was on her shoulder.

The sudden contact made her jump, her horns and tail popping into existence, her side step was more of a stumble, and when she looked at the man, she saw concern on his face.

“You feel alright kon? Ya look a little pale” she shook herself and grinned at him “yeah old man I'm fine just a little tired and hungry, it’s been a long few years”

He nodded slowly taking her word for it then straightened up a little bit “well you should be there, it'll put your brothers at ease, even if the marshal gave him his copilot stepping back in a jaeger after Alaska, gonna be rough”

She was nodding along but it took a moment for his words to register “wait, the marshals giving mako a shot?” happy excitement bubbled up in her chest especially when the man nodded “he just took a little convincing” 

Layne made a face at the man “ew, I don't Wanna hear about the sex life of a man that hates me” she dropped her hand on his shoulder and grinned at him “now if that's all, I have a brother to support” 

She didn’t see Herc roll his eyes because she was already on her way to loccent.

\---

Yancy was all but pacing as gipsy danger started up the drift process until she dropped her hands on his shoulders “calm down Yance, you’re like an expecting father”

The man turned and smirked at her before uncrossing his arms and dropping one over her shoulders “hey it’s not all me, Raleigh's kind of twitchy”

Layne rolled her eyes “first drift without his brother after the last one nearly ended with both of you dying, I wonder what he has to be twitchy about, don't worry, you stay calm and with mako in there it'll be smooth sailing”

Her brother looked at her confused “what?”

With a grin, she leaned into him “yeah apparently Herc convinced the marshal to let mako drift with him”

Yancy looked impressed for a moment before he seemed to realized just how he would have convinced the man and his face scrunched up “gross” 

She laughed at the man and tapped his chest “how do you think I felt when Herc told me? And I'm the succubus!” 

She noticed the man suddenly twitch and then take a deep slow breath closing his eyes “here we go,” he murmured and she looked at the screen in time to see it reporting the drift had started.

After a moment Yancy let out a huff of breath and rubbed his head “separated from the drift?” she questioned she knew Yancy and Raleigh had been, on some level, ghost drifting since even before knife head.

It freaked her out sometimes, on bad days how they seemed to be damn near the same person.

Yancy’s brow furrowed a little then he shook his head “not, really. It’s still there I can feel Raleigh beyond the pack bond but, its fainter and there's something else there”

He shook his head again and dropped his hand “I don't know it’s weird” he looked at her as she snorted slightly “I wonder why? You’ve been ghost drifting for five years and now there's something new”

She turned her eyes out the windows of loccent watching the long time still gipsy danger move “a two way drift split three ways”

“Layne?” at Yancy’s question she shook herself and looked at him, with a shake of her head she squeezed his shoulder “I need to talk to you and Raleigh after the trials over” she said and couldn’t help biting at her lip, the marshal was right.

She needed to tell them.

“I haven't been completely truthful with you and rals, about what I use to do here, I haven't lied I just” she bit her lip harder until she tasted blood on her tongue then sighed “you know it’s a long story, I’ll save it for tonight”

His hand reached up to her shoulder and she leaned into the touch “whatever it is, it can’t be that bad” he tried to sooth and she forced a smile as she looked at her brother.

If only he knew.

\---

“Pretty impressive” Herc said a few minutes into the test after the marshal all but rushed out after one of the science twins, the one with the cane.

She looked from where she stood on his left side her hands shoved into her back pockets “nah, he's just showing off now”

Layne could almost feel chuck rolling his eyes from where he stood on the other side of his father “yeah he remembers how to turn it on” he said dismissively and she felt her wings twitch below her skin.

Herc looked over and opened his mouth but she beat him to it, speaking in a sickly sweet voice “oh I'm sorry, when’s the last time you solo was piloted a jaeger after your copilot and last remaining family member, got ripped out of the drift and possibly killed?”

Her face shifted from that sickly sweet to a dark scorn “show some respect” she ordered as he glared at her that light behind his eyes again.

With a low growl as warning in the back of her throat she looked back at the screens just as an alarm rang “there both out of alignment” tendo said and her eyes darted to the corresponding screen “both of them?” Herc asked as she suddenly turned around.

“All three of them” she said under her breath looking at Yancy who had a hand on his head and was swaying just barely.

Herc must have heard what she said because he followed her gaze and saw Yancy pale just a little before his knees gave out and he was falling.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow two updates on the same day? I better slow down before I outrun myself haha.
> 
> sorry it took so long for this update chuck and layne weren't wanting to work with me and I kind of got distracted by a sassy steve rogers.
> 
> but I updated so yay me. i'll try not to take so long next time.
> 
> as always if you like it leave a comment or a kudo and if you see anything wrong like grammar or spelling or anything let me know below, I promise I don't bite =)
> 
> please enjoy this new chapter and ill see you next time!  
> RD.

Layne didn’t think she’d ever moved so fast in her life, she grabbed her brother by his upper arms supporting him, his eyes were blurry and distant just before he closed them and went limp.

“Yancy? Yance? Yancy!” she shook him then touched his neck, his pulse was fast thundering like he was scared or exerting himself.

Maybe it was both.

Lowering him to the floor she tried to figure out what was wrong, when a drop of scarlet red blood dripped from his left nostril she suddenly froze up, suddenly a memory came to her unbided.

\---

Three years ago was the last time any of them had gone to the hospital with more than a few scrapes, a cold or a cut that needed five stitched for Raleigh.

After a recent kaiju attack no more than 20 miles from the section of the wall they had been working on, he Forman decided they needed to work faster take more risks and not worry as much about safety.

Because of his incompetence three workers were killed when the section of wall they were working on collapsed and Yancy would have been the forth if she hadn't flown in to protect him.

Layne had used her wings as a barrier between them and the falling warped metal beams and slabs on concrete.

It had been a panic after the concrete fell, scrambling and trying to see who was hurt, who wasn’t.

She honestly didn’t remember a lot of the accident just that she had been supporting thousands of pounds of concrete from crushing Yancy, a steal beam had twisted and was stabbing her through one of her wings.

It was difficult and she wasn’t sure she didn’t black out for a few minutes.

What she did remember was shifting under the rock, stealing her muscles and lifting with al her power until she felt fresh cold air as she lifted the debris, she threw it away with a cry of exertion and promptly collapsed.

Raleigh told her later when she came to that she had torn muscles and ruptured a few organs, shed be lucky to ever fly again even with her regenerative ability's.

When she asked about Yancy he got watery eyed and she feared the worse but he tld her Yancy was alive, had a fractured rib and hair line fractured in his left leg, the gurder that had stabbed her wing had gone through his belly but he was alive.

Layne had saved his life again.

The first time Yancy woke up was three days later, Raleigh was on the wall, working in a safer section while the mess was cleaned up and he only went because they needed the rations and because layne stayed with Yancy even if she had healed from a midnight feeding from a naught nurse.

Yancy was so high on pain killers that once he was sure Raleigh was ok he started talking just to fill the silence.

He told her embarrassing stories she made sure to remember for blackmail, told her not so fun stories about their fathers abandonment and their mothers sickness.

And then he told her about their first drift.

“it was horrible” he said “not only did we find out every embarrassing thing about each other but we lost control and over loaded the machines, got stuck so far down the rabbit hole even alice was looking down at us, we were so deep the emergency overrides didn’t even stir us”

She had smirked at his story and leaned forward to prop her elbows on the bed “bed you got a shit ton of blackmail from that” Yancy grinned loopily at her “rals had to do my laundry for a week” she laughed “that had to be torture”

“No the torture was being chewed out by our teacher, we got to caught in the drift they had to unplug the damn machines to knock us out of it, another few minutes we would have cooked each other’s brains “and you both do that enough on your own”

He swatted at her but they both laughed, it was a sibling thing.

\---

Layne came back to herself from the memory with a gasp as people were rushing passed her.

She looked out the windows to see gipsy with her plasma canon raised and charging everything glowing slightly from the light “unplug the machine” she whispered as realization dawned.

“the power line!” she yelled through the chaos and chuck glanced at her before jumping behind the server and gripped a cord as thick around as both his arms.

Tendo leapt around like the little acrobat he was to help pull.

“take it off line!” the marshal yelled as he ran in and she heard a distinct hissing klang sound before tendo straightened holding the cord in his hand “I just did” he said and then turned to watch as gipsys arm slowly lowered and the plasma canon deactivated.

Tendo glanced back as this was happening and saw he still holding Yancy and rushed over “Yancy” he said and she shook her head “I think he was pulled in by the ghost drift” she said and he reached out hand hovering just above yancys slack face.

“He needs a medic” he said suddenly firing off an order to a technician behind him before turning back and holding out his hands, she looked confused until he smiled “ill take care of him you need to check on Raleigh and mako”

She bit her lip unsure for a moment before handing her brother over to the man watching him like a hawk for a moment before turning and standing in one smooth movement.

Stacker was blocking the only doorway and his expression said he was out for blood but that didn’t matter to her.

“When in doubt make your own exit” she thought and turned he wings snapping out from her back as she ran and went through the window.

The moment of heat made Herc tendo and chuck flinch slightly and look away and when they looked back the six inch thick bullet proof Plexiglas window was melted, glowing red around the bottom and she had already reached the jaeger.

She was the first one in the jaeger, the training tat had been drilled into her skull by the drift and her years of training kept her from bursting through the conpod itself.

It took her a moment to remember not to rip off the hatch but the moment it was open she dove into the pod, Raleigh was on the floor holding mako in his lap, the woman's eyes were wide and slightly glazed.

Got caught in the drift, the cut off of a drift whenever they were disconnected the usual way was bad enough, but without the stage by stage detachment, the sudden cut off.

It was going to take a while for mako to regain herself.

Layne bolted over and knelt in front of the two reaching out to touch their shoulders.

Mako blinked at her owlishly then her eyes started to water “layne” she said before falling forward.

Layne held out her arms and caught the young kirin and pulled her into her chest as she started to sob, her wings twitched slightly as the woman's drivesuit dug uncomfortably into her chest.

Looking up she reached out with one hand and tugged Raleigh in close, shifting mako onto one shoulder she pulled her brother into her other shoulder and without even realizing it her wings stretched out to hid them from the crew members standing by the door.

There would be consequences for what happened, layne knew the marshal well enough to probably guess what they would be, grounding, banishment to the wall, labeled enemies in the eyes of the dome and a danger to its inhabitants.

The same old song and dance as when she let the first time.

But at the moment, nothing aside from Raleigh and mako mattered.

If she was being honest, nothing ever had.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay new chapter! it took longer than I was expecting but I finished it forgive me if its not the best but I tried.
> 
> let me know what you think in the comments below and if you like it give it a kudo!
> 
> as always if you see any blaringly horrible mistakes please let me know and i'll try to fix them as soon as possible and also thank you to everyone whos followed this story so far and thanks to everyone whos already left a kudo or bookmarked or commented.
> 
> this wouldn't be nearly as much fun without your feedback and your feedback also feeds my inspiration!
> 
> also always don't forget to please.
> 
> enjoy!  
> RD

“He's a has-been she's a rookie, I don't want them protecting my bomb run!”

Even without her enhanced hearing layne could hear chuck yelling in the marshal’s office; Raleigh was pacing around the hall in front of the office his shifter nature preventing him from standing still in his agitation.

Mako stood with her hands folded in front of her she looked calm but layne was sure she was distressed, her eyes were following Raleigh as he moved and her fingers had been twitching before she folded her hands.

She felt guilty for what happened.

Of course she did.

Layne herself stood leaned back against the wall one arm crossed over her chest and her other hand rubbing the area between her eyes.

She was divided, half her awareness was present and the other half, her sense was in medical with Yancy.

There was a reason he wasn’t a candidate for the drift, other than the injuries he sustained to his leg, when he hit the water his head struck debris from gipsy and he received a major concussion.

Add in the sudden traumatic cut off from the drift with the blow to the head and it resulted in extensive damage.  
It didn’t result in anything that lasted but only because of his lycanthrope, from what his medical records stated his brain had been bleeding he'd fractured his skull and the scar tissue the injures left behind.

The doctors said if he ever drifted again he would die, simple as that.

And he drifted no more than an hour ago.

Long story short Yancy’s brain started hemorrhaging after they went out of alignment, the doctor said it was minor and there was a good chance that there wasn’t any kind of lasting damage but he wasn’t waking up.

He was in a coma and they didn’t know when he was going to wake up.

Layne glanced up for a moment when she heard the marshal’s door open and the angel came stomping out looking like someone had just declared the rapture and none of them were worthy.

In other words he looked murderous.

Layne honestly didn’t give a shit she was tired and hungry and her head hurt from splitting her awareness between Raleigh and Yancy in medical.

“You two are a god damned disgrace” he snapped at Raleigh and mako she could tell Raleigh was about five seconds from punching the angel in the face but then again who wouldn’t be? He had that effect on people.

Mako was the only reason he didn’t and that was because she had a very calming effect on people as was in her nature.

Not saying she couldn’t get annoyed because mako clearly was its just her guilt and shame were outweighing it at the moment.

“You’re gonna get us all killed” he continued “and here’s the thing rahleigh, I want to come back from this mission because I quite like my life” his voice was level other than the clear anger in it.

Anger hot enough to burn “so why don't you do up all a favor and disappear, it’s the only thing your good at”

Makos head turned and she snarled at chuck “stop now” Raleigh touched her shoulder never looking away from chuck but she understood and backed down, they were in enough trouble with the marshal they didn’t need anymore.

“Yeah hold back your little girlfriend” chuck said accent thickening “one of you bitches needs a leash” she saw Raleigh's muscles tensed up and his fingers curl into a fist but even weakened she was still faster than him.

Her since shot forward locking his arm in its position at his side much to his confusion “that's enough chuck, drifting for the first time is hard enough without memories from traumatic experiences to sharpen the rabbit’s teeth, I would have been more surprised if they didn’t lose alignment”

Raleigh shot her a hurt look but it was true, they should have drifted in a simulator instead of a jaeger, they all fucked up there.

Chuck snarled at her “take your little hell spawn with you” he said to Raleigh not even acknowledging her words “before she kills any other copilots”

Raleigh's anger was replaced partly with confusion “what are you talking about?”

She swallowed and looked toured him guilt heavy on her tongue almost choking her, she was about to answer when chuck spoke again “oh, she never told you? Ya see becket your little hell spawn use ta be a piolet, until she ejected from her jaeger and left her copilot to die when the pod was crushed”

Something cold and dark and consuming grew in layne’s chest as she stood there staring at chuck “I didn’t” her voice was quiet.

“Layne” she looked over at Raleigh who was looking at her like, she didn’t know what he was looking at her like.

“Is that true? You use to be a pilot?” she swallowed thickly “yes” she saw his eyes close off and rushed to continue “but I didn’t eject, I wouldn’t do that to Connor”

His face was closed off and her excuses wouldn’t work she saw that already “you said he was killed by Jaime”

“He was, she did something to our jaeger, it was lagging we couldn’t” she stopped talking when he turned his face away “I wanted to tell you”

Raleigh's eyes flicked back up to her and the burning disappointment she saw was like a strike to the face, a stab in the heart “he was my brother” she tried and heard a snort from behind her.

“I guess the both ah ya have more in common than ya thought, the only difference was she actually killed her brother”  
Without thinking layne turned and clenched her fist swinging her arm she struck chuck in the chest and threw him backwards she couldn’t control the darkness building in her chest, the feralness.

She felt like she was going feral.

Maybe she was, maybe she needed to.

Feral’s didn’t come back after they died.

And if she just lost her brother.

If she just lost what little family she found.

She didn’t want to come back.

Chuck stood up from where he landed and glared at her a pin prick of light in the centers of his eyes like a challenge.

She let the whites of her eyes turn black in reply.

It was all the incentive he needed.

Chuck lunged at her with a sloppy left hook that was clearly a trap but she didn’t realize that until she caught his fist and his other apparently stronger right fist his her just beside her eye making her stumble to the side.

He pressed his advantage and brought her to one knee but she recovered quickly and surged to her feet darkness clinging to her as she dodged his next punch and hit him right in the nose.

The strike temporarily disoriented him and she heard a voice whisper in her ear “don't let him recover, press your advantage” she pretended she didn’t recognize the voice as she lunged forward.

He brought his arm up to block as she tried to ram her elbow into his ear.

She reached out with her other arm pulling his guard down and connected on the second attempt making him stumble to the side.

She grabbed his shoulder with both hands and rammed her knee up into his stomach making him grunt in pain and stumble to his knees, while he was down she swung and punched him in the face making his head jerk to the side.

Layne wanted to press her advantage when she saw him bleeding but the voice she refused to recognize told her to step back “don't get over confident” it whispered so she took a few steps back

As the angel stood back up she met his glare with cool eyes, she knew he underestimated her the first time.  
It wouldn’t happen again.

He assessed her for a moment before his eyes twitched “apologize for insulting the dead hatchling” she said she didn’t care that he insulted her but she wouldn’t allow him to insult Conner.

“Fuck you” he spat and lunged at her again and she ducked his punch rising up to punch him in the chin and then again in the side of his face before grabbing his jacket and flinging him into the wall.

The angel braced himself against the concreate and ducked down planting his shoulder into her abdomen just below her ribs slamming her back into the opposite wall.

She grunted from the impact and also from the blows he was landing on her unprotected ribs ‘catch his arm, twist it’ the voice whispered to her as her lips peeled back into a snarl her eyes burning in their sockets.

‘step forward use the arm bar to fling him into the wall’ she followed its instructions and chuck slammed into some sort of piping crying out in pain at steam shot out and surrounded him for a moment.

When he straightened up and turned his eyes to her she saw he was done playing and she pulled her lips back further losing a little bit of herself to the darkness in her soul, he tail lashing out behind her.

She didn’t even realize her tail and horns and wings had manifested themselves, just like she didn’t notice the other Shatterdome employees gathered at a distance to watch their fight.

The angel and the demon finally letting their nature get the better of them.

It was a surprise it took as long as it did.

Chuck slowly stepped away from the wall never taking his eyes off her and she let out a deep snarl well past the point of words, her dark eyes could see that he was glowing slightly, the voice she would never openly admit to hearing whispering to her that his open stance was a trap.

She didn’t care she just wanted blood.

Layne lunged at chuck this time striking at him, he blocked her punch and rose his knee to block her leg when she tried to kick him, as she punched at him again her tail snaked forward to trip him and he stumbled to a knee.

‘Don’t do it!’ the voice yelled but she had already lunged forward.

Right into the palm chuck shoved into her stomach with enough force to throw her back, never had she felt that kind of burning pain before.

Something inside of her burned. 

Enough so that she didn’t see him lunge forward to punch her in the face until she felt the blow and her head jerked to one side and then the other.

She stumbled back a step and snarled at him until her pulled his arm back once more “disappear” he sneered and slammed his fist into her chest as hard as he possibly could.

Layne cried out as a burning consumed her, the force of his hit sending her backwards into a wall where she crumbled to the floor and didn’t move.

She couldn’t move everything burned and her vision had darkened, at least one of her collar bones was broken, and her soul itself felt like it had something tearing at it.

Clenching her fists and with her own breathing loud in her ears she got one hand under herself and pushed herself up slowly to her hands and knees, something bitter and copper tasting was on her lips and she distantly realized it was blood.

The same was she distantly recognized the burning, the little bastard angel had tried to dispel her from the mortal plane, banish her to hell, his very grace was attacking her soul and her magic.

If she wasn’t so old she would be back in hell, if she wasn’t so weak he would have broken his hand.

Damn her hunger!

Raising her eyes she saw the door to the marshal’s office open, Herc stepping out and saying something, his eyes widening when he saw her and Wha a sight she had to be, a centuries old demon brought to her knees by a fledgling.

Layne saw chuck his eyes still filled with rage take a step forward clearly intending to finish what he started but Herc grabbed him forcing him back.

Layne turned her eyes to where Raleigh stood not approaching and with his face still schooled into blankness, even mako looked only vaguely worried about her, maybe it was because layne was the kwoon master.

She let her eyes close and let herself slump back to the floor with a thud, their disdain was nothing less than what she deserved, she should have told them sooner.

Both of them.

\---

Alexis carried her to the medical unit in the dome his large hands gentle as he put her down on a table where the former kwoon master drake worked some of his dragon magic.

He repaired her broken collarbones and fractured rib and removed the grace eating at her soul, he even took away some of her hunger but he couldn’t do anything for what truly pained her.

She should have said something sooner.

But then again maybe it was time to go, she was sure they didn’t need her after all Raleigh and mako would be amazing together and Yancy would eventually wake up after the world was saved.

They may never look at her the same but the way she figured it they shouldn’t have to look at her at all, they were grown lycanthropes they could take care of themselves.

Once drake was finished she nodded her thanks and walked to where Yancy was laid in a hospital bed and brushed back his hair “so many things to say so little time” she said and let her hand rest on the railing of the bed for a moment as she tried to sort her thoughts “I'm leaving Yance, you and rals won’t have to bother with me anymore”

She raked back her own hair and sighed “you never should have had to in the beginning, people I consider family end up being killed, that's how it always goes, I don't know what I'm going to do, maybe go back to Alaska, maybe go to the safe zones I don't know, I know your brother can save the world thought, then again was their ever any doubt? You probably won’t see me again so I wanted to say goodbye and I'm sorry I didn’t tell you the truth”

Layne leaned down and pressed her lips against his forehead “goodbye, Yancy” she murmured then turned around and walked out of medical.

First stop was the room she shared with the brother’s, she collected her items and changed into civilian clothes, blue jeans, the sweater Raleigh made for her and a leather jacket that nearly never left her bag.

The jacket she and Conner wore whenever they left their rooms, their bond printed plainly on dark material and the strength of it standing out in now faded white.

It brought back bitter memories but it also gave her peace.

And lastly before she left the room she removed her dog tags and used a pin to hang them on the wall, she was finished carrying the burden around her neck like a noose, she had other guilt’s she could wear that were less visible.

Walking out of the room she slung the bag over her shoulder and started walking to the marshals office, for once in her life she knocked and opened the door when she heard the man say enter.

He sounded aggravated and she guessed that was because he'd just spoken to Raleigh and mako but he was currently alone so she didn’t know.

The moment she closed the door and dropped her bag he spoke “I want you out of my done immediately, you are lucky I don't call security to escort you out” he sounded like he was in alpha mode but she didn’t care.

She just folded her hands behind her back and didn’t look at him “that's why I'm here marshal, I came to resign as both kwoon master and jaeger technician, the incident early showcased my ignorance, I should have known to put them in a simulator instead of a jaeger”

The marshal rose a brow at him in a expression she knew meant he was calling her on her bullshit so she kept talking “all I want sir if for the blame to be put on the correct shoulders, it’s my fault this happened, don't punish good pilots because I fucked up”

Now she did look at him and something in her eyes must have made him waver because he didn’t interrupt her as she expected him to do “I’d also like for you to know that you were right, I did kill my brother, I ejected and if I hadn't Conner might very well still be alive, but there's nothing even I can do about the past, don't let my mistakes hurt a good team”

Silence lingered for a minute and she was pretty sure the marshal was speechless, or maybe just silently gloating about being right “very well miss kon, you dishonorable discharge is reinstated, should you return to ppdc property you shall be treated as a hostile force and terminated as such, now get out of my dome” he turned away and she lowered her head.

“Yes sir” she said quietly before retrieving her bag putting it higher up on her shoulder and leaving the man’s office.

She passed Herc in the hall way and while he stopped and said her name she didn’t, she just kept walking.

A guard escorted her out of the gate and stood there staring at her as she stopped on the side walk and turned her face to the sky where it was raining “it really is a cold world” she said and glanced back at the soldier before moving forward.

He watched her until she was out of sight and then continued his rounds.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok sooooo....... im sorry? I know it shouldn't take three months to write a chapter but I couldn't think of laynes beast/demon form to save my life and I got distracted, im sorry it took so long you guys.
> 
> but good news is I have this one finished as a Christmas gift and I have two more drafted up so it should be posted same time as my other fic chapters..... hopefully haha.
> 
> anyway merry Christmas you guys and thanks for sticking with me so far!
> 
> enjoy and let me know what you think in the comments below!  
> RD

After a couple hours layne reached a bar and ordered a bottle, putting down a ration card she told him to keep replacing the bottle until either she was drunk off her ass or the ration card ran out.

She had plenty of spares should that happen.

“are you a pilot” a voice asked and she glanced back at an older Chinese man before looking back at her drink the amber colored liquid sliding around promising to help her forget things she knew she could never forget “I use to be” she murmured before emptying her glass.

The man walked closer and looked at her as if they were old friends “there is no use to be, there is only ‘is’” she glanced at the man before emptying another glass and refilling it again.

“well maybe I was never a real pilot to begin with” she said and felt something almost like rage light up behind her as the door opened “layne” she didn’t turn to look at the person that had walked in, she didn’t want to see the look on Raleigh's face.

Instead she busier herself pouring another drink “what are you doing here, the marshal told me you resigned” she glanced back to see his blue sweater wet from the rain “yeah I did”

“Why would you resign when you fought so hard to come back?” she took a drink “because it was the only way to keep him from grounding you and mako, I mean come on rals” she turned on the stool to face him “you’re the active pilot with five kills to his name, piloted solo, kept your brother alive”

She emptied her glass “I'm just a stripper that couldn’t keep her siblings safe”

Raleigh marched up to her and faster than she could react smacked the glass out of her hand, it shattered on the floor “don't you ever fucking say that again!” his face was red and his eyes narrowed “you’ve survived shit that would make other people lay down and die, myself included, the only reason me or my brother are still alive is because of you”

Layne narrowed her eyes her hunger making her hold on her anger so much weaker than usual.

“You are an actual pilot, you saved your copilot where I couldn’t, you can still fucking drift because you don't have a huge hole in your head where your other half use to be” as she spoke she grew louder and approached Raleigh making him step backwards to keep the on even footing.

“I saw the look in your eyes when the marshal told you who I really was, what I have really done with my service” she spoke the word in a mocking voice and Raleigh took a step forward chest puffing up almost in an alpha challenge “that wasn’t your fault and we both know it, that was jealousy and envy”

She let her horns and tail materialize her wings twitching in aggravation “yeah and I'm a demon, those two things go hand in hand with me”

Before their argument could continue an alarm like a fog horn sounded making them both turn to look at the door, the occupants of the bar nearly ran them over in their rush to leave the building everyone knew that sound.

A kaiju had just come from the breach and was heading for Hong Kong.

\---

She barely realized she was running until the Shatterdome came into sight, she and her brother were pushing through the people to get inside, no guards were present to stop her from entering and shed think that weird until she saw the screen.

It wasn’t one kaiju, there were two.

It was a double event.

They arrived just as the jaegers were deploying and while mako told Raleigh what was going on she raised a brow a tendo who saw her reflection in his screens and just shook his head.

So it wasn’t good whatever was going on.

“we've never had a double event before, why now” she wondered to herself watching what was happening on the screens listening as the two jaegers crimson typhoon and cherno alpha engaged the first kaiju but the second one was hiding biding its time.

It showed itself soon enough of course when it launched itself at cherno alpha and brought the old jaeger under the water.

Tendo announced that the jaeger was in critical and the pilots heavily injured.

Striker eureka announced that the marshal should fuck himself and went to help cherno.

Crimson typhoon was barely holding its own with the first kaiju and distantly layne realized this was her copilot’s death all over again.

She wouldn’t let it happen, she couldn’t, not again, so she grabbed her brother’s arm and makos and pulled them out of loccent “you both need to be suited up and in gipsy now, they need your help out there”

“But the marshal” mako started to say and layne rounded on the girl “fuck the marshal he's a human playing at an alphas place, you and Raleigh are the cities only hope”

With those words she turned and started moving toured the roof “what are you doing?” Raleigh called after her but she hardly paused to shout over her shoulder “something really fucking stupid!”

On the roof the wind and rain were pounding at her but she just ran to the edge and fully extended her wings, shooting into the sky and flying faster than she ever had before.

Lightning struck in front of her face missing her by inches as she approached the battles but she didn’t stop or slow, she saw striker eureka fighting leather back, saw crimson typhoon being thrown away and torn apart by raiju, and heard another crack of thunder above her head.

The amount and power of the lightning strikes were increasing and she felt herself changing even before she realized she was doing it.

The kaiju striking down the jaegers paused when they heard her roar and looked up as she slipped into the looming swelling dark clouds her shape being silhouetted by one lightning strike looking vaguely human and then the next moment it was much larger and roared louder with a mouth full of fangs.

It dropped from the clouds landing with a heavy crash and where layne use to exist was a creature from the depths of hell.

\---

The creature was dark with huge wings protruding from its back horns curled from its skull and chains surrounded its neck and while the tail at first looked look a wolfs tail a barbed tip extended from the end of it gleaming like it was the sharpest blade in existence.

Its eyes were black and the cornea glowed red, flames withered like a dark main on its head and down its back, flames dancing along its wing arms, its face was scared under an eye and its front legs looked like versions of humans hands tipped with black talons the wrists surrounded by chains with fire dancing around them.

Its body although vaguely canine shaped didn’t have fur, it had skin that looked like leather and if it wasn’t for the red glowing hellfire on and inside of its skin it would almost look like a kaiju.

Chuck could feel the darkness of the creature and knew it was a demon, the true form of a powerful demon and while on some level it frightened him he also felt safer, like they actually had a chance to survive this.

At least he hoped they had a chance.

As the demon roared at leather back raiju was coming up beside the creature, leatherback roared in return and raiju collided with the demon in a crash like thunder, the fight turning brutal as the demon turned and started clawing at it.

Chuck couldn’t focus on it because his father pulled him back to the present, reminding him he needed to focus on surviving their own fight.

The demon could fucking take care of itself, they needed to keep the kaiju away from cherno alpha, crimson typhoon, their injured pilots and away from the city.

They had to or else the world was fucked.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so I am enjoying this a lot more than I expected and I got to say its going to get really interesting soon.
> 
> if I can get it edited and readable haha, let me know what you guys think in the comments and kudo if you like it but most of all enjoy!  
> RD

Raiju roared and when it collided with layne’s demonic body it hurt, more than she expected, when she dug her talons into its skin the blood burned her demonic hide the same way the blue in the water always burned at her skin, she was still weak from her fight with chuck only hours earlier, still half-starved from years of work.

Hints how Raiju was able to knock her away throwing her out of the water and back a few hundred yards and was on her before she could leave the water, keeping her below the water and clawing at her until under the surface of dark and faintly glowing blue water red eyes glared and a mouth full of fangs glowed red.

Flames shooting up made the kaiju jerk back and layne leapt up out of the water snarling, her main of dark hellfire whipping about before she lunged forward and her fangs caught flesh.

Her mouth burned from the blood but she wouldn’t let go her claws tore at its arms spreading more blue over herself and her razor of a tail shot forward stabbing at the creature that roared with pain then opened its mouth and some blue slime shot forward covering her and she realized it was acid as it started to burn through her hide.

Layne roared and leapt away using the water as coverage to remove it but it just gave Raiju the chance it needed to lunge at her its tail and claws tearing at her skin and stabbing at her.

And then she stopped moving as darkness started to close in around her the blue of the water being stained dark with demonic blood.

\---

As they fought with leatherback chuck and Herc saw the demon go under and not get back up and they roared, trying to engage the chest rockets only for the kaiju to suddenly use their new weapon.

It felt like they were struck by lightning, the pain and silence in each other’s heads as they lost power was horrible the pain of sudden disconnection, of being ripped apart and shoved in their own skulls was worse and when it faded enough for them to think they tried to reach loccent only to realize they were sitting there defenseless which was even worse than drift hangover.

Of course it wasn’t as bad as when Herc was thrown against the side of the con pod, chuck didn’t want to admit how afraid he suddenly became as his father was hurt and he felt it though their ghost drift.

That fear he would never admit is exactly why he reached out in a way he'd never done before, the grace burning in his chest stretching out as far and as fast as it could, stretching out to the demon.

\---

Layne’s pain filled darkness was penetrated by something bright and white it surrounded her so completely but it didn’t burn like last time.

Distantly she realized she recognized it “you’re not fuckin dead yet! Get up!” she knew the voice confirming who it was “why” she questioned voice sounding like a growl with her other forms vocal cords “I can’t move, I can’t fight” the darkness started to creep back in but then the grace focused on her directly.

And it recognized her as well “you fucking has been! You’re going to let us die!” it demanded louder than before “I don't protect people!” she roared in whatever this was she was floating in. 

“I can’t! I only get them killed! You shouldn’t count on me! My brother” she stopped as her darkness her sense tried to shove chuck away but he wouldn’t let it and in the light he appeared directly in front of her, glaring at her.

“I don't count on you but you’re the only one that can get us the fuck out of this! So stop with your guilt bullshit and help us! For the love of god be a fucking ranger!” he roared back at her.

“I'm not a ranger” she said quieter darkness creeping back in “not if you let that kaiju reach the city you’re not” he said and the darkness paused as she looked at him “you don't stop being a ranger because you can’t pilot, you stop being a ranger when you stop fighting! When you let innocent people die!”

Something crashed and she felt pain not her own “he's right outside we can’t get out and were about to do something really stupid, we need your help”

He was suddenly jerked away and she didn’t know why but she reached out for him like she wanted to grab him keep him close but that confused her, all she really knew was he and his father were in danger.

She couldn’t let them die; she couldn’t let anyone else die.

The darkness suddenly disappeared as water surrounded her again; her demonic form weak but still alive.

‘We need your help’ she had to help them.

\---

Chuck doubted layne would actually help them she was as good as dead and he could feel it, he also felt a little guilt because he made her like that earlier when he lost his temper, he knew she was starving, saw the darkness under her eyes her limp hair and pale skin, even her demonic form not that he thought about it.

It was supposed to be full of hard strong muscle for fighting but was more skin and bone than anything else.

He knew she was vulnerable but he'd gone after her anyway, he never was the smartest person, after all he was currently standing on top of a jaeger with a flare gun pissing off a fucking kaiju.

It was like a bee sting on a fucking grizzly bear and it reared up just like one to so it could swat the annoying pests away.

They flinched back as it roared at them and was about to strike out of instinct chuck turned as his father did reaching out for the man as wings materialized around them but then nothing happened.

They both peaked through feathers to see the kaiju staring behind them frozen and felt something warm radiating behind them, hot wind smelling like sulfur brushing over them.

Father and son turned and looked at the growling horned and fang filled maw of the demon behind them; saw the fire withering all around its head saw its red eyes and glowing leather like skin.

They saw a creature of hell standing directly behind them and actually felt relieved as torn and bloody wings rose and stretched out further than any demon they'd ever heard of before.

It stepped around the jaeger and the kaiju watched it as it rose from four legs onto two, bones making snapping sounds as the readjusted to the new position, rearranging themselves and those hands with the black talons rose, chains rattling around the wrists and blood dripping from open burns.

“Holy fuck” Herc breathed seeing the wounds on its back that were deep enough to see bones through.

Its entire body was covered in deep slashes and gouges.

Chuck agreed with the sentiment especially as the demon, as layne, suddenly roared and launched at the kaiju knocking it off its feet and away from striker eureka which it stood in front of.

The kaiju launched at her again but she was ready this time moved so they wouldn’t hit eureka and let the kaiju ram into her “the fuck are you doing” chuck said lowly wings retracted onto his back and staring as the demon clawed at the kaijus back.

And then he saw, she wasn’t looking for purchase she was digging at the organ on its back.

She dug both hands into leatherbacks skin and opened her mouth before shoving it down and taking the organ on its back ripping it off.

“Yes” chuck roared as the kaiju stumbled back letting her get her feet and lunge at it, tearing it apart with her claws until it punched her maw and she jerked and her tail stabbed it.

“It can’t beat the bastard like that” Herc said and chuck glanced at him then back at the fight “she's not trying to win, she's keeping it busy” Herc was confused at first until chuck pointed at the approaching figure.

A jaeger carried by jump hawks.

Gypse danger.

\---

Layne didn’t know how much longer she could hold her form, while true it was simple to shift holding her demonic form on the human plane while injured the way she was and while so hungry, she doubted shed survive this fight.

But then again that didn’t really matter, she had taken care of that EMP blast organ on the kaijus back, loccent would be back up and running at any minute which meant Herc and chuck could finish it at any minute followed by Raleigh and mako being dispatched.

They were the only pilots left and while it was horrible this was a good way to force the marshal into letting them drift.

In the distance she saw the jaeger being flown out and smiled to herself, her vision blurry and her body burning from kaiju blood.

While distracted the kaiju took the chance to start pummeling her, its large fists colliding with her body and then grabbed her arms and she roared in pain as it tried to rip her apart.

Her roar of pain was weak and a sudden foghorn made the kaiju stop still grabbing her with one of its hands it turned to see gypse land in the water looking like an avenging spirit before throwing her away.

She was weak with relief and when she hit striker eureka she was surprised she didn’t bowl it over, she just fell into the water and rose herself up slowly to give a growl but gypse and the kaiju had already engaged each other.

Closing her eyes she let herself go and collapsed back into the water her body changing and just floated in the blue stained water.

Fuzzily she thought she saw something flying toured her but didn’t pay it much attention, she just wanted to rest.

Finally her weakness got the better of her and she slept.

\---

Chuck saw the red glow below his jaeger and looked down as the demon melted into itself and the only thing that stayed was a body.

The rain was lightening but the jaeger was still slick as he moved and looked over the edge of the jaeger to see the body.

His father looked at him strangely and questioningly but he ignored it as he leapt off striker Eureka’s head and spread his wings to drift down flying just above the water.

Layne was floating there, bloody and eyes closed, she looked dead but he knew she wasn’t because he could feel her so he plucked her from the water, her wings and tail hanging limp as he held her and beat his wings to return to the top of striker eureka to wait for the escort that would remove them and their jaeger from the kaiju zone.

Although as gipsy flew over their heads toured the city and the kaiju followed he was pretty sure it would be a few minutes.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sooooo this chapter is late.....
> 
> im sorry? haha I completely spaced about this fic and forgot to update it sorry guys! anyway have a chapter im not 100% satisfied with but im sure ill be rewriting this whole thing soon so what the heck?
> 
> lemme know in the comments if you guys liked it or leave a kudo and don't forget to enjoy!  
> RD

Raleigh couldn’t honestly remember the last time he felt good as he did when he looked at mako after defeating both kaiju and being welcomed into the dome as rangers.

They had saved the city and everyone that looked at him at first as a failure after his failed drift now looked at him and mako with respect, it felt amazing “miss kon was right” makos though drifted over the ghost drift.

She was right, layne had matched them, all but forced them together, hell she had forced them together there at the end ordering them to get to gipsy and suit up, but he didn’t want to think about that right now, not while still trying to understand why she lied to them, him and Yancy both, because for all his talk and understanding of the situation.

He just didn’t understand why she lied about it.

Herc made his way through the crowed toured them, calling his name and they turned to look at him as the crowed fell silent, he was out of his drivesuit and his arm was strapped to his chest.

“My kid would never admit it” he started voice low and rough as he glanced back at where chuck was standing before looking back at them and offering his hand “but he's grateful, to you and your sister, we both are”

Raleigh grinned and shook his off hand and when Raleigh glanced at chuck he saw the man give a slight nod although he didn’t look happy.

Raleigh was pretty sure that was just how his face looked though, permanently unhappy and scowling.

The sound of doors made them all look and the crowed part like the red seas to let the marshal through, he also looked displeased but as he spoke his mouth twitched slightly upwards.

Maybe the stick up his ass, as layne called it, was really just his worry for his daughter.

“In all of my years fighting I've never seen anything like that, well done” he said looking mostly at mako as he said he was proud of them but Raleigh didn’t mind, he was proud of mako to.

He launched into a speech that he was so known for making about them not having time to celebrate, Raleigh knew they had lost two jaegers.

The pilots of one in severe condition, the pilots of the other only alive because of their shifter healing, the marshal told them to reset the clock and then quickly left the bay placing something to his nose much to Raleigh's confusion.

As the crowed started to disperse Herc looked at Raleigh walking with him and mako as they went for the locker rooms to remove their drive suit’s “you need to stop by medical” he said

Raleigh looked at the man with risen brows “why I feel fine, I mean a little sore but it has been five years since I jockeyed” the look Herc gave him had him pausing “did something happen to Yancy? I didn’t feel anything but if it” Herc waved a hand at him to shut him up eyes looking pinched in annoyance.

“Nah mate ya brothers fine, it’s your other sibling ya need ta worry about”

His brow furrowed in confusion “layne?” he questioned and the Australian nodded.

\---

A few minutes later he was walking into medical to see a guard in front of a door arguing with the former kwoon master drake “it would kill her!” he was saying to the guard “marshals orders, she's going to die anyway probably, the demonic bitch doesn’t deserve any less for what she did”

The man growled at the soldier and Raleigh saw something shimmer under his hair like scales or horns beginning to sprout “she didn’t even come here on her own! Ranger Hansen brought her here”

The soldier shrugged “not my problem, the marshal gave strict orders” he started and Raleigh stepped in because he could feel drake becoming seriously angry now “hey” the guard and doctor turned to look at him the guards annoyance disappearing “ranger becket” the doctor sounded relieved “what's going on?” he questioned.

Drake motioned him forward toured the medical door and then pointed inside, Raleigh froze when he saw it was layne “they want to throw her out of the dome even though it will most likely kill her”

Raleigh stared and his mouth open slightly unsure of what to say “you” he turned his head and glared at the guard “leave” he snarled and the guard looked like he wanted to argue but when Raleigh pulled his lips back and snarled for real he decided better of it.

Once the door to the medical wing closed behind him Raleigh slipped into the room silently and approached the bed.

Layne was laying there, her horns poking from her hair, her wings behind her looking battered.

There were burns on her face and around her mouth both of her arms were bandaged and bandages wrapped around her chest tightly.

He had never noticed how thin she was before in the years they lived together but he was sure she wasn’t supposed to be that thin.

“What's wrong with her” he heard himself asking as drake came up on the other side of her bed “she took her demonic form, fought off the kaiju long enough for you and miss mori to be dispatched, the blood and Raiju acid burned her but the problem is she was weak even before her fight with ranger Hansen”

Raleigh turned his head and his brow furrowed in confusion, drake seemed to notice and explained “your sister is a succubus, their demonic parts feed on very specific energy, if they go without for too long their body suffers the effects”

Drake motioned to her prone form “and she hasn’t been feeding the way a demon of her age and strength should be for at least two years” the sound of shifting had them looking at the bed “just how old do you think I am?” layne said slowly looking at them both with a risen brow and half closed eyes.

“At least old enough to know better” drake returned and she smirked before looking back at Raleigh who was looking at her like he was lost “I got a look at you piloting little brother; can I make a match or what?”

He lowered his head slightly “layne I-”

“Don't”

He looked at her sadly and she just smiled slightly “I’ll explain it all later just, I'm too tired right now” he nodded slowly and silence fell for a moment before she nodded “go check on Yancy see how he handled the ghost with you and mako drifting”

He nodded again then slowly walked to the door of the room before stopping at looking at her “I'm sorry” he said quietly and she rolled her eyes and made a motion with her bandaged hand “oh I still love you rals, go check on Yancy and let me sleep”

His lips twitched up at the corners “you always were the lazy one” she chuckled as he left then rested her head “so why don't you eat? I'm sure there would be plenty of willing people here, end of the world and all”

“Implying I need the end of the world to get laid”

She smirked but his face remained serious so she sighed and slowly and painfully pushed herself into a sitting position “no one has the kind of energy I need, if I fed off of anyone right now I would lose control and probably kill them, even you” she said making the dragon snort.

“I doubt that” this time her face remained serious “I'm not joking”

The silence was deafening as drake realized her seriousness, she was honestly getting so tired of silence recently, the silence in her heart and in her head “there is someone” drake said and she looked at him before groaning.

She preferred silence.

**Author's Note:**

> yes what she sang was the lullaby from pokemon but i though it fit.
> 
> i'll try to update soon tell me if you find any errors in the comments below and i hope you enjoyed!  
> RD.


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